PTA chairman dismisses calls for arrest of ASHTECH students over lynching

PTA chairman of the Akro Senior High Technical School in the Eastern Region, Mr David Sakitey Asare, has dismissed calls by the wife and ghetto youth for the arrest of students involved in the lynching of an intruder in the school on Friday night.

Ghetto youth from Odumase Krobo on Saturday raided the school in revenge for their slain colleague who worked at the facility as a pantryman, demanding the immediate arrest of all those involved in the act amongst others.

Tettey Sarah Mamle, wife of the deceased with whom he had two children aged two and four years in an interview also demanded the arrest of the perpetrators of the act. "They should arrest all those who killed my husband," She cried.

Sakitey Emmanuel Kpabitey was lynched by students of the Akro Senior High Technical School when he allegedly ventured onto the campus, demanding the immediate release of Odoi Solomon who was being assaulted by the students after he was found hovering around the girls' dormitory, or he would bring townsfolk to come and beat them.

According to Mr Sakitey, the police should be allowed to conduct their own investigations into the incident and take whatever actions they deem fit.

The PTA chairman furthered that statements taken from the school authorities over the incident should help them in their investigations.

"The headmaster wrote his statement...the senior housemaster also wrote his statement but I think these statements are just meant to help the police in their investigations," he noted.

Likening the actions of the students to that of self-defense, the former MCE for Lower Manya Krobo under the erstwhile Kufuor administration argued that the threats issued by the deceased provoked and triggered the violent response from the students which resulted in his unfortunate demise.

"Doubting" if anybody can be picked up over the incident, he described the threats of the deceased against the students as an extreme provocation.

"I know that in law there's something called extreme provocation so I will consider the actions of the children as an extreme provocation, they were pushed to the wall. Why do you have to come back to threaten them to the extent that you said you were going to town to organize gangs to come and beat them up?" argued Mr Sakitey.

He added, "For me, nobody should be picked, no student should be picked. They should allow the students to go freely about their learning activities."

Meanwhile, Odumase District Police Commander, Supt. Doris Akua Grant said investigations were still underway into the incident.