More than 10 students have been arrested in connection with violent clashes between Okuapeman Senior High School and Mount Sinai Senior High School in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The arrests follow a series of reprisal attacks between students of the two schools in the early hours of Wednesday, September 2, which resulted in several facilities on both campuses being damaged by fire.
Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Joseph Owusu-Bempah, said some students fled the schools when the police arrived at the scene but stressed that those who escaped would be traced and arrested.
“We have apprehended them. And there are more,” he said, adding that the police were compiling a comprehensive list of individuals suspected to have participated in the violence.
The Regional Police Commander further disclosed that investigations had uncovered allegations that some teachers may have encouraged students to attack their counterparts.
According to him, the police have identified teachers whose names have emerged in connection with the incident and will arrest them if investigations establish their involvement.
“We have the names of the teachers. They have nowhere to go. At the appropriate time, we will arrest all of them, and their names will be published,” DCOP Owusu-Bempah warned.
He assured the public that anyone found to have participated in the attacks would face the law, while urging students to return to school and cooperate with investigators.
He also cautioned against attempts to interfere with the police investigation, warning that such actions could undermine efforts to restore calm and ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
The clashes left six students of Okuapeman SHS injured. The school’s headmaster said four of the injured students had been treated and discharged, while two remained under medical care as of Wednesday.
Several facilities were also affected during the violence, with parts of both schools reportedly burnt or vandalised.
The police have yet to establish the exact cause of the confrontation but are continuing investigations to determine what triggered the clashes and identify all persons involved.
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