Ghetto boys raid forces closure of ASHTECH

The Ministry of Education in consultation with the Ghana Education Service (GES) has taken a decision to temporarily close down the Akro Technical Senior High School in the Eastern Region in the face of security threats to the students.

Sakitey Emmanuel Kpabitey was lynched when he threatened to organize townsfolk to beat up the students if they refused to release Odoi Solomon who was being assaulted when he was found loitering around the girls' dormitory on Friday night.

Ghetto boys from Odumase Krobo armed with machetes, clubs and stones on Saturday attacked students on campus following the lynching of Kpabitey who was one of their own.

The students responded with stones before succeeding in driving out the attackers who also pelted stones at the students.

Police personnel from the Odumase and Akuse Police Commands intervened to quell the violence.

Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Eastern Region, Mr Emmanuel Asiedu Acheampong explained that the decision to send the students home was to ensure their safety in the face of the current situation.

The decision to close down the facility means ongoing end of semester examinations have been put on hold until February 7 when they're expected back on campus.



"Given the situation, a good number of the students have already left. They're here to complete their academic work... and they have started their examinations but under the current circumstances it'll not be safe to keep them around so we've asked that they take them home and then on the 7th (February), they come back and come and continue the academic year," he said.

Only 86 out of a total of 450 residential students remained on campus by Sunday morning, a situation the PRO attributed to "panic" being faced by the students.

The remaining students were driven out of the campus to their various destinations under police escort.

Justifying the decision for the closure, Mr Acheampong said the MOE and GES valued the ultimate security of the students.

He stressed: "Our target is the children, the security and safety of the children so at any given time when security escalates to the levels we're seeing, it doesn't make academic sense to keep them when things are not normal."

He added that the situation is expected to normalize by the time they report back to school in two weeks time.

Meanwhile, police personnel are currently on the campus to maintain the peace and any possible further reprisal attacks.