The leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is demanding military protection against what it says is the growing threats by some faceless groups on the lives of its members.
This was contained in a letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor’s office in reaction to a statement issued by the Concerned Katangees, a pressure group said to have issued such threats.
The group, attached to the University Hall (Katanga) had called out top officials of the University following the arrest of their members suspected to have been involved in a recent disturbance on campus on August 18.
“Since this day the school has witch-hunted some students of the Hall who were not even at the clash scene. These students have been denied their right to partaking in the ongoing semester exams all in the name of being suspects in a clash that occurred”, it said in the statement accusing the Dean of Students Prof. Wilson Agyare and his Deputy Prof. Otchere Addai-Mensah of authorizing the arrest of the suspects.
It had indicated that the actions and inactions of both officials “will destroy the career and lives of innocent suspects.”
“Katanga will hunt them back”, it had added.
But UTAG-KNUST says its members are disturbed and “traumatized following the destruction of property, threat to their lives and psychological distress members went through in the ensuing moment cannot be forgotten”.
The teacher union wants the management of the KNUST to as a matter of urgency take pragmatic steps to protect the lives of the two members to avoid any unfortunate incident.
“The Association takes these threats very seriously and demands immediately that pragmatic steps be taken by Management to protect the lives and families of these two gallant members before any untoward event happens to them. This is crucial because to be forewarned is to be forearmed,” they reminded management as they urged their members to be on a ‘high alert’ regarding their security.
“In the meantime, the Association would like to implore its general members to be on high alert since none of them is safe in the face of these imminent threats emanating from a faceless group of people, parading themselves around and making everyone vulnerable unless re-development of Military Officers in a uniform on the Campus can save the situation,” it added.
The violent clash between residents of the University (Katanga) and Unity (Conti) Halls got many injured and properties destroyed.
At least five suspects have been arrested and are facing court over the chaos.
The Ashanti Regional Security Council had beefed up security on campus as the search continues to hunt down the suspects.
The University management also announced a raft of measures to curtail such violence on campus, including the suspension of all Hall and SRC Week activities.
Management has also scrapped the Junior Common Room system, a decision many described as “draconian”.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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