• He gave his reasons as not liking the school
• He added that his parents forced him into the school
A 15-year-old student behind recent fires at Accra Academy Senior High School has revealed that his actions were fueled by his anger at his parents.
According to a report attributed to state-owned graphic.com.gh, the second-year student said he set ablaze the school dormitory blocks, including a new one, to register his anger at his parents who forced him into the school.
The report indicated that the unnamed student is currently being held by the police after he owned up to having started all three fires that occurred in the school.
The fires ravaged, among other things, the belongings of students such as trunks, chop boxes with food items, beds, and other valuables, including money, as well as a number of school properties, educational materials of students, and some personal effects, the report added.
Investigations by the police have shown that the boy gave reasons for not liking the school and preferrence of being a day student for his action.
It was his hope, according to the police, that by setting the school’s dormitories on fire, the school would be closed down.
A charge of causing unlawful damage contrary to section 172(1) (b) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), has been slapped on the boy.
Background
After a recent fire recorded on June 23, 2021, authorities of the school set up a Committee to investigate the unfortunate incidents at the school.
Upon a careful assessment, it was revealed that the Form 2 student was behind the fire recorded at the dormitories including the ones that destroyed several properties at the Alema Hall and Halm-Addo Hall.
The student who explained that he was forced to enroll at Accra Academy confessed that he secretly set the dormitory on fire intending to close down the school.
According to the management of the school, the boy sought to be a day student instead of being in the boarding house after the fire incident at the dormitory.
In his account, he revealed that he carries out his action while students are at prep studying adding that he buys petrol from a nearby filling station, sprinkles on plastic bottles, and then set the dormitory on fire with a match.
In January 2021, GhanaWeb reported on a fire incident at one of the new dormitories at Accra Academy which destroyed several properties including food items, trucks, books, chop boxes, mattresses among other valuables.
The students were at prep when the incident occurred, reports indicated that there was no power at the time of the incident, this the National Fire Service described as “strange”.
“There was no power at the dormitory and so it is strange that the building could catch fire…The first one too we were told there was no power in the dormitory so it means that the students are not monitored properly to find out whether somebody used naked flame secretly or mobile phone.
"A mobile phone hidden in books for a longer period of time and it becomes hot can ignite fire,” said the Head of Public Relations at the Ghana National Fire Service, Robinson Okoe Ellis in an interview on TV3.
The student has however been bailed and handed over to his parents. The PRO of the Accra Regional Police, DSP Effia Tenge has stated that the matter has been forwarded to the Attorney General Department.
The student said his parents forced him to the school and so he did it to register his anger