Source starrfm.com.gh
Education News Ghana
Zuarungu SHS Clash: Student escapes with police rifle magazine and four others arrested
Four students have been arrested following the violent clash at Zuarungu SHS, with police searching for one student who escaped with a rifle magazine after a scuffle with an officer.
Four students have been arrested by the Ghana Police Service following the recent violent clash at Zuarungu Senior High School that forced authorities to shut the school down temporarily.
Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Akamugri Atanga confirmed the arrests in an interview on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey on Tuesday, July 22.
He disclosed that security officers are searching for another student who allegedly struggled with a police officer and made off with the magazine from the officer’s rifle.
“On the Saturday night, when the police went there to bring order, they arrested a few of them and took them to the general police station. And then two boys were in the pickupthe police were using, and one policeman was sitting with them.”
“So they struggled with the policeman to seize his gun. And in the process, one was able to snatch the magazine from the policeman’s gun and then bolt away with it. He’s the one we are in search of. The following morning, the police were able to arrest four students at the police station.”
The minister reiterated that the disturbance was not driven by tribal tensions. Rather, it grew out of a dispute over an allegedly stolen mobile phone involving students from different areas.
Rumors of a tribal clash, reportedly between Frafra and Kusasi students, circulated after the violence, but Mr. Atanga says those reports are inaccurate.
On Monday, July 21, he ordered the immediate closure of Zuarungu SHS until further notice to help cool tensions and allow security and education authorities to investigate.
The confrontation, which intensified on Sunday, July 20, resulted in the destruction of property on campus, including the burning of some structures.
Security personnel and authorities are working to restore calm, recover the missing magazine, and determine next steps for reopening the school.
