The Proprietor of the Bright Senior High School (SHS) in Akyem Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Mr Bright Amponsah, has been arrested by the Koforidua Divisional Police Command in connection with the recent riots at the school.
He is alleged to have involved himself in riots by students of the school, which led to the assault on an official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), Mr David Nii Djan, and external invigilators; Mr Jerry Alfred Okine, Mr Emmanuel Asare and Mr Adiko Jacob, and Mr Emmanuel Pacome, a reporter of the Daily Graphic Communication Group.
Mr Amponsah is said to have been taken to the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) for further interrogation.
According to sources, he was one of the persons, who incited some students of the SHS to go on rampage in protest of what they said was WAEC officials unwillingness to allow them (students) to cheat in the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.
The unrest resulted in the destruction of school properties and an assault on the WAEC official, external invigilators and journalists.
Efforts at getting confirmation of the arrest from the Regional Police Command proved futile as not even the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Police could be reached at the time of filing this report.
In a related development, the Eastern Regional chapter of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in a press statement condemned the mob attack on Mr Pacome, and called for a thorough investigation and prosecution of perpetrators of the crime.
The statement issued by the chairman, Maxwell Kudekor, said the attack on the four persons, especially the journalist, smacked of savagery.
It noted that the students, who attacked Mr Pacome claimed that they had paid huge sums of monies to facilitate their success.
“This action should be within the context of dealing with recent acts, gross indiscipline and vandalism in various senior high schools in the country before the situation spins out of control,” the statement said.
It said the GJA was particularly interested in the matter, and expected the police administration to handle it swiftly and ensure that justice was served.
The statement cautioned that the GJA would resist fearlessly any attempt of attack.
It said, “The mob attack and near lynching of Mr Pacome has afflicted our souls and caused irremediable pains in our heart. But for the divine intervention of God, Ghana would have woken up to another gory news of mob attack and killing of a young journalist.”
Mr Pacome was attacked by rowdy students when he went to Bright SHS to report on a clash between officials of WAEC and final year students, who were writing their exams.
