Bawku Technical Student shot dead

• Posted on June 8, 2015June 8, 2015
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

A student of the Bawku Technical Institute, Emmanuel Awuni Issah, was reportedly shot and killed by some unknown persons last Thursday, June 4. The victim, according to a police report, was riding a motorbike in Garu in the Garu-Tempane district when he was allegedly shot.

He was among students of the Bawku Technical Institute who were sent home following the closure of the school on Thursday. The Bawku Municipal Director of Education, Mrs. Janet Kawarete, in consultation with the Bawku Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Issahaku Bukari, closed down the school as the only option to stop the students from rioting.

The closure of the Bawku Technical Institute came barely a week after the Bolgatanga Technical Institute had been closed down – also due to students’ riot.

Police have not made any arrests nor invited any of the students for questioning, because according to the Upper East Regional Police PRO, ASP Thomas Agbanyo, “students’ riot is normal,” and also because no school or private property was destroyed in the unrest.

The students were protesting against the transfer of the Assistant Principal of the Bawku Technical Institute, Jacob Feli, to the Kassena-Nankana East Municipal Education Office as the Director of Education.

They refused to take their meals and agitated for several hours on campus and on the Bawku-Bolgatanga road, making it difficult for vehicles to pass.

Some of the students also went to the palace of the Overlord of the Bawku Trational Area, Zuug-Raan Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, and pleaded with him to talk to the powers-that-be, to rescind the decision to take away the assistant principal from the school.

Meanwhile a teacher of the school, who felt embarrassed by the action of the students, has suggested to the police to always treat students’ riots as they would treat those of organized groups or hooligans who do so to disturb the peace of an area.

“These students have been allowed to misbehave and go unpunished for a long time and now they think it’s normal and they can do that at will. If you expose my name now, the least opportunity they get to riot, they will attack me or anyone who has spoken against their agitations. Now, serious students who were never part, will be suffering because of what some people who have never wanted to be in school or want to achieve anything in life have done,” he bemoaned.

He wants the school authorities and the police to always come to an agreement and get the ring leaders of students’ riots arrested in line with the laws of the country and deal with them accordingly.

From: Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Bolgatanga