Some 62 suspects have been identified for their involvement in violent clashes between the Katanga Hall and Continental Hall at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The management of KNUST listed the suspects after scrutiny of CCTV footage and other videos that captured the unfortunate scenes.
Consequently, the KNUST authorities are liaising with the police to arrest and prosecute the suspects for attacks and the destruction of property on campus.
So far, three suspects have been remanded, and the authorities are making every effort to bring all perpetrators to book.
The University Relations Officer (URO) of KNUST, Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, pointed out that students found guilty will not escape internal sanctions.
“You may be rusticated or perhaps dismissed outright if your offence is grievous. Definitely, those people are going to face the internal disciplinary committee, and whatever recommendations come out, we will implement fully,” he revealed in the latest update on the incident.
The riot is said to have ensued when students from Katanga attempted to use a route in front of Conti in a procession as part of their Hall week celebrations.
As part of the celebrations, University Hall commenced what they call a ‘Zulu procession’ through some parts of the campus, but their colleagues at Unity Hall tried to stop them from using their frontage.
This led to students pelting stones at each other.
For over a decade, the two halls agreed never to go beyond the Peace Junction when on processions.
Personnel from the Ghana police were deployed to the school to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Security Council(REGSEC ) has issued a press release warning the students to desist from unlawful activities following the clash.
“The REGSEC is informing all students and residents of the university community that all actions intended by any person or group of persons to disturb the current peaceful security in the university will be addressed with the legal instrument of the state.”
“It is requested that people nursing such intentions desist from that and go by the rule of law as any breach of the peace in KNUST and the region will be addressed appropriately,” the press release added.
Reports suggest that the rampage started when a student from the Mensah Sarbarh Hall was beaten and his phone taken away during the ‘Sarbahfest’ celebration.
The resident returned to report the issue to his colleagues at the hall, who followed him to the Commonwealth Hall to fight back.
A vehicle at the Mensah Sarbah Hall car park was set ablaze while a bust of John Mensah Sarbah, situated outside the Mensah Sarbah Hall, was stolen.
