|
|
Gun Terror Grips Legon Over 1,000 students at the University of Ghana, Legon staged a demonstration on campus Thursday, calling for tighter security measures in the face of an escalating spate of gun violence. At least three gun-point robberies have taken place at the University during three weeks of vicious crime. One lecturer was attacked in his campus bungalow, where his wife was shot; another student was shot on the balcony of his Sarbah Hall Annex B accommodation; whilst four students were robbed by armed, masked thieves in the Afronet internet café.
"Theft and mobile phone snatching started on campus about two semesters ago, but then they were using knifes and clubs to snatch the mobile phones from students,” says Frederick Tonyi Senayah, Acting President of the Students' Representative Council."Now they have graduated from knives to guns and cutlasses." Kwame Gyan was one of the students robbed at Afronet café in Sarbah Hall Annex A. At about 12:30 am on Tuesday February 6, the internet facility was stormed by two men, one wearing a red mask. One of the robbers carried a machete, and the other a "locally manufactured shot gun," he told The Saturday Statesman.
Kwame"s mobile phone was on the table in front of him; it was grabbed by the men, along with the phones of two of the other three people in the room, all the belongings of the café attendant who had been sitting outside, including the entire day’s cash earnings, and a laptop. Emma, an Agric student from Sarbah Hall, was the only female in the café. "All I heard was, 'everybody down’… I didn’t know what was happening; I thought maybe it was a joke or someone going to try some funny game on us. But then I saw that everyone was down, so I joined them on the floor."
In her confusion, Emma had thrown her phone under the table. "Then the one with the gun came to me and said, ‘Where did you drop the phone?’ ‘It’s under the table; just take it, take it’." It took several minutes before the attendant was able to raise the alarm about the robbery. "Apparently, they had warned her that if she tried to make any noise, they would cut her into pieces." "No one put up a fight so no one was injured," said Kwame; but these victims were lucky compared to other students on campus.
Two days later, Emma woke up to hear more screaming from the bungalows adjacent to Sarbah Hall Annex B. Two intruders, against welding a gun and a machete, had entered one of the bungalows. One male National Service volunteer was caught off-guard - listening to music at about 4am on Thursday February 6, he was approached from behind and had his phone snatched. He tried to resist and in the struggle was dragged out onto the balcony by the machete-carrying thief, where the armed thief was waiting.
Farida Khailann is a close friend of the victims and was in the building at the time. She told The Saturday Statesman how another man friend, also a National Service volunteer, had ran onto the balcony to try to help. He was shot in the groin, suffering "very very very serious injury," according to the SRC president. The victim was discharged from hospital on Thursday, although he had returned again for check-up when The Saturday Statesman contacted him yesterday. Friends say he is responding to treatment, "but you know how bad a gun shot wound is."
Many students now feel the situation is getting out of hand.
Abigail, a fourth year Computer Science student, said that another phone left had taken place the night before. "We are scared; everyone is scared," she said. Richard, a level 400 student, joined in with Thursday’s demonstration. "The violence is getting worse," he told The Saturday Statesman, pointing to a spot close to the Standard Charter ATM machine in the centre of campus where a student was shot last week.
"The place is becoming empty at night; this used to be a 24 hour university, with students working and using the libraries at all times. But now people are reluctant to walk around at night because it’s getting too dangerous." "The University authorities have really let us down. When we are here, we have no parents; so they are our parents and they have a responsibility for our security. They are not living up to our expectations."
In a petition presented to University authorities Thursday, Senayah writes on behalf of the student body. They are demanding, as a matter of urgency, massive improvement in the lighting system on campus, most especially around the area around the athletic oval, Commonwealth Hall, new N-Block, college of Agric and Consumer Sciences and the routes leading to the Ghana hotels and the Jubilee Hall.
They insist that the current university security system becomes more professional and purpose-driven. They want telephone hot-lines provided in the various halls of residence, staff residences and departments, and ask that the university introduce police patrols on the university campus, especially between the hours of 6pm and 6am. "The entry points we have on campus are too many," says Senayah, who believes that the majority of robberies are being committed by non-students. "They always enter from the Nogutchi area – we have so fence there, no security, it is dark and easy to get in."
Such is the level of concern amongst University students that they have issued an ultimatum; "If after one week we see no change in the security situation on campus, we shall advice ourselves accordingly." Asked as to the likely nature of further action, Senayah hinted that the next step could be more violent demonstration. Armed robberies are also an increasing problem at the country’s other tertiary institutions. An attack by armed thieves on the village of Amamoma near the University of Cape Coast in early February reignited concerns about security on campus and its environments.
The armed attack on a group of non-resident students reportedly lasted about three hours with one of the victims hospitalised with serious cutlass wounds.
Statesman
Source:
Statesman
Go back to Parliament - Abodakpi tells NDC MPs Mr Dan Abodakpi, National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Keta, has appealed to NDC MPs to rescind their decision to boycott Parliament.
Mr Doe Adjaho, MP for Ave-Avenor, made this known at a forum organized by the NDC Regional Secretariat at Ho to explain issues on Mr Abodakpi's imprisonment and Ghana @ 50 to constituency executives. It was also to react to Mr Kofi Dzamesi, Volta Regional Minster's allegations about the Party's involvement in problems during the National De-worming exercise.
According to Mr Adjaho, Mr Abodakpi was happy and satisfied with the solidarity shown by his colleagues but urged them to go back to Parliament to work for the advancement of the nation. Mr Adjaho maintained that Mr Abodakpi was innocent and that he was just a victim of the New Patriotic Party's agenda of destroying the biggest minority party in the country.
He alleged that the judgment was politically orchestrated, adding that some people in the NPP had earlier called their counterparts in the NDC to inform them that Mr Abodakpi was going to be imprisoned for 10 years.
Mr Modestus Ahiable, Regional Chairman of the NDC, described the allegation that the party masterminded the spreading of rumours about the death of children after taking the de-worming drugs, as "childish". He said according to reports, there were reactions in other regions apart from the Volta Region and wondered why the Regional Minister would blame the NDC.
Mr. Ahiable stressed the importance of children as the future leaders and stated that during the PNDC and NDC times the government organised many immunisation exercises for children and would not do anything to hinder the welfare of children.
Mr. Kofi Humado, MP for Anlo, observed that the Volta Regional Minister's utterances were only to win cheap public sympathy for a failed exercise since publicity was not enough.
He called on members of the NDC to be prepared for similar situations before and during the 2008 elections.
The MP noted that the imprisonment of Mr Abodakpi and the Minister's allegations had united the Party more than ever and promised to "play and overlapping role" for Mr Abodakpi's Constituency until the Regional Executives decided otherwise.
Captain Rtd George Nfordjo, MP for Ho Central, alleged that the government was not involving minority parties in the preparations towards Ghana @ 50 celebrations because of the money involved. He urged members not to be disturbed and to mark the day in their own small ways as patriotic citizens of Ghana.
Source:
GNA
Awutu-Beraku, C/R, Feb. 18, GNA- An Awutu Beraku magistrate's court on Friday jailed a self-styled pastor at Kasoa four years in hard labour for inserting his fingers into the private parts of two women and attempted to rape them in turn.
Justice Essel, 42, the self-acclaimed pastor pleaded guilty with explanation to the charge of indecent assault.
Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Helena Aidoo of Kasoa Police told the court, presided over by Mr Charles A. Wilson that the complainants, both friends, lived in the same compound in Kasoa. She said on February 8 2007, the two friends visited another friend at Anden-Nania, a suburb of Kasoa where they met the accused person in the house and on seeing them he started prophesying. Chief Inspector Aidoo told the court that the Pastor told one of them that he has seen her in a dream, wearing mourning cloth and if she did not pray seriously the husband would die.
The prosecution said the pastor also told the second victim that her son will be a prosperous man in future and demanded anointing oil from the two women for prayers for them in his room. The prosecution said the complainants went to the house later in the day where he invited them into his room in turns. The first victim spent about one hour in the room but kept to herself the ordeal she went through.
Chief Inspector Aidoo said when the second victim went into the room, the pastor started making love overtures to her, so she became annoyed and got out of the room and confronted the first for not disclosing her ordeal to her.
Chief Inspector Aidoo told the court that it was during the confrontation that the first complainant told her friend that the accused person inserted his fingers into her private part and socked her breast.
The prosecution said the second complainant became furious and attacked the accused person for his misconduct. Chief Inspector Aidoo said the pastor, sensing danger went to the Kasoa police station and lodged complain against the second victim for assaulting him.
The two victims later went to report the case against the prophet and he was arrested and charged with the offence.
Before passing sentence, the Judge said the conduct of accused "is a disgrace to all men of God and it is a betrayal of Christian principles".
"The accused is being convicted and sentenced to serve as a deterrent to all so call prophets who sexually assault innocent women and people's wives.." he said. 18 Feb. 07
Source:
GNA
Sekondi, Feb. 18, -GNA- Papa Owusu Ankomah, Minister of Education, Science and Sports, on Saturday announced that the Government would introduce a new education bill in Parliament this year. He was speaking at the 60th anniversary and Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Saint Mary's Boys' Secondary School under the theme: "Saint Mary's Boys' in Perspective-60 Years of Quality Education" at Apowa near Takoradi.
Papa Ankomah said one of the major focuses of the bill would be the decentralization of education management at the district level. He said Government would deepen community involvement in educational management in line with efforts to improve upon team-building and collaborative work.
Papa Ankomah said the essence of this is to get community members involved in the management of education such as School Management Committees (SMCs) to become more accountable to the people. He said the Government has also planned to introduce a new policy on the funding of tertiary education this year.
Papa Ankomah hoped, this would resolve the controversy, which, over the years had characterised the financing of tertiary education in the country.
He said over the past few years, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has observed with grave concern and disappointment increasing cases of indiscipline in some schools.
Papa Ankomah said these acts manifest themselves in drug abuse, sale of narcotic drugs on campuses, stealing and destruction of school property, sexual abuse and harassment, occultism and examination malpractices, among others.
He said also in the present times, students are found to falsify results and certificates to enable them to gain admissions into tertiary institutions.
Papa Ankomah said these acts contravene the concept of quality that the system is supposed to provide noting that, "Any society whose succeeding generations are affected by this canker has no future". He told students that, "This time you have the legitimate right to be in school, do make use of the time and available material and human resource to make the best out of yourselves".
Papa Ankomah said the GETFund has since its inception provided 1.8 trillion cedis for the rehabilitation or construction of libraries, dormitories, laboratories, provision of computers and books for libraries.
He said government would continue to make huge investments in education at all levels and would continue to rely on the support of all religious bodies and organisations to meet its social responsibilities to the people.
Mrs Margaret Lemarie, Headmistress of the school, said the school lacked adequate accommodation for the growing student population and the staff.
She called on the Old Students Association to assist to either expand the school's assembly hall or construct a new one. Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Fisheries, launched the anniversary magazine.
Among those at the function were Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Reverend Professor Addow Obeng, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast and Most reverend John Martin Darko, Catholic Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese. 18 Feb. 08
Source:
GNA
|
|
|