The Campaign Team of John Dramani Mahama have accused President Akufo-Addo of being the cause of yesterday’s violent protest at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
They said the violent protests stems from the untold hardships the Akufo-Addo government has imposed on Ghanaians.
In a statement issued by the Campaign Spokesperson, James Agyenim Boateng, it said: “The events at KNUST show a deeper underlying frustration of the pent-up feelings of not just students but also the larger Ghanaian public”.
“It is a reflection of the intolerance and impunity that have characterized governance under the present administration. Again, the general hardship unleashed by the policies of the Akufo-Addo government continues to build resentment among many sections of Ghanaians”, the statement said.
The statement predicted that other agitated groups may take a cue from the students’ action if the government does not implement measures to “help alleviate the suffering that families are facing so that labor and other key stakeholder groups”.
They also condemned the President for his silence on the happenings at the University.
“For a President who has been quick to comment on seemingly irrelevant and innocuous happenings in the country and beyond, it is telling that he has kept a deafening silence on this serious matter.”
The team was also concerned about the lack of foresight on the part of the Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education for taking no action when the signals of an implosion were clear.
Background
Last Friday, 11 KNUST students, including an alumnus of the university, were arrested and detained at the KNUST police station.
The students were reported to have been beaten and brutalised by the University’s security personnel before being handed to the Police.
It was later revealed that the students’ arrest was as a result of them holding a vigil without permission.
Despite public condemnation, the school’s management justified the arrests, saying the students failed to abide by school laws and therefore left them with now choice than to invite the Police to deal with the situation.
The led to renewed tensions yesterday (Monday), with some students boycotting classes to stage a demonstration against the “brutalities” meted out to their colleagues.
However, what was meant to be a peaceful protest soon became messy, as students ransacked cars and other properties belonging to both teaching and non-teaching staff.
They also chased away the University’s security personnel and burnt the Dean of Students’ car in the cause of the demonstration.
It took the efforts of the military and some Police officers to restore order and, currently, a curfew has been imposed on the University premises.