The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare has assured students and Management of the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi that he will look into the conduct of Police officers deployed for crowd control during their protest.
There was a Police shooting at the Abrepo Junction campus of the school Monday when students were rioting. About 25 have been hospitalised following the incident.
Dr. Akuffo-Dampare, who rushed to the Ashanti regional capital and addressed the students said investigations will be conducted into the matter to ensure the necessary action is taken.
“I also want to assure you that whatever happened in terms of the policing aspect of it, we are going to look into it and take all actions that need to be taken to ensure that at the end of the day, the right thing is done,” he assured.
“Professionalism is deepened in a manner that will not put anybody’s lives at risk because as Police, we are here to protect lives and property and if we cannot do that, we might have failed our duties and our mandates and it is something that we do not want to do,” he said.
Background
The angry students on Monday took to the streets and blocked the road to allegedly protest the frequent accidents in front of their school.
The student group reportedly blocked the road as they called for construction of speed rumps on that section of the Abrepo Junction – Bohyen stretch to avert the accidents.
Almost an hour of blocking the road, Police met them and allegedly fired live bullets into the crowd and at some point fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Reports say pedestrian knockdowns involving students and teachers of the school have gone up around the school recently.
Police Reaction
In a Police in a statement on Monday, June 13, DCOP Kwesi Ofori, Director-General of Public Affairs stated that some of their police men have been taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
Some parents and guardians have since thronged the school to check on their children.
GES Reacts
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has moved to the school to calm the situation although amidst heavy security presence.
The Spokesperson of the Education Ministry, Eric Opoku Mensah who spoke to the press indicated that the Regional Director of Education is following up with the matter to ensure all students admitted at the hospital are well catered for and safe.
“We’ve spoken to parents to remain calm; we have given them the assurance that any student found in this School is well. We are protecting them; we are ensuring that those that were taken to the hospital are safe – some have been brought back.
“We will engage the Urban Roads Directorate to ensure that some markings would be done on the road immediately. Even if that is done, that wouldn’t be an antidote to an accident occurring but again, we need to educate and advise our drivers who ply this road to be cautious when getting to a school junction,” he said.
Meanwhile the IGP has pledged to collaborate with the necessary authorities to construct speed ramps in front of the school to reduce the incessant road accidents which precipitated the protest.
“As soon as I touched base and went round and saw the dangers that you are exposed to, I made a couple of calls and urban roads and its leadership have accepted to quickly come around and ensure that the right thing is done to save your lives to live to your full potential.
“We are going to monitor to see to its full accomplishment, so that each life will be protected,” he added.
Ambulance Service
The National Ambulance Service pegged the number of victims admitted to hospital at 25.
Regional Director of the Service, Sommit Duut, says all the victims are responding to treatment.
He, however, stressed that they have not treated any traumatic injury like that of gunshot wounds. According to him, the students rather suffered respiratory distress.
“All that we treated were just difficulty in breathing and people who were exhausted – we didn’t have any bloody situation,” he told Joy News.
Source: Myxyzonline.com|Ghana
