Six Ghanaian government-sponsored master’s students at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom have accused officials of the Ghana High Commission in London of verbally abusing and physically assaulting one of their colleagues during a protest over unpaid scholarship funds.
The students staged a peaceful demonstration outside the High Commission on Monday, claiming they have not received tuition payments and living stipends promised by the Government of Ghana for more than 18 months.
According to the group, they are owed a total of £238,852 in tuition fees and stipend arrears, a situation they say has prevented them from graduating despite successfully completing their academic programmes.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, the group’s convener, Noah Krah, expressed disappointment over what he described as a lack of engagement from officials at the mission.
“In four hours, not a single official of the Ghana High Commission came outside to speak with us. There was no acknowledgement, no engagement, and no response of any kind through any formal channel,” he said.
Mr. Krah alleged that tensions escalated after two students entered the High Commission premises in an attempt to seek answers.
“They started verbal abuse on my colleagues, saying ‘kwasiafo’ and using words like useless people, and Bridget Bonney even said we don’t deserve taxpayers’ money,” he alleged.
According to him, the situation worsened when one of the students, Abena Fosuah, attempted to record the exchange.
“My colleague, Abena Fosuah, decided to pull out her phone to record the incident. So Bridget Bonney and other members, whose identities we have yet to establish, forcibly took Abena Fosuah’s phone and deleted all her recordings, including interviews she took for her academic work,” he claimed.
Mr. Krah further disclosed that a formal complaint had been submitted to the Head of Education and Recruitment at the High Commission.
“I sent an update of the protest and the resulting incident of assault to the Head of Education and Recruitment at the Ghana High Commission. As of now, I’m speaking with you, they have not responded,” he stated.
The students are demanding an investigation into the alleged incident, the immediate payment of all outstanding scholarship funds, and a formal apology from those involved.
Mr. Krah said medical personnel who examined the affected student confirmed she had sustained soft tissue injuries that could take up to two weeks to heal.
“The victim has been given prescriptions and also advised to report the matter to the Police, Citizens Advice and the Ombudsman,” he said.
He added that the student had undergone an X-ray examination and had been offered mental health support, as she remains traumatised by the alleged incident.
Meanwhile, the Ghana High Commission is yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
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