Armed gang closes down Kaladan School

An armed gang, which is claiming part of the Kaladan Seventh Day Adventist Primary School in Tamale, has forced the school to close down.

The gang, who claimed that they were acting on behalf of the Dakpema, one of the two chiefs of Tamale and custodian of the lands in the area, were heavily armed sacking the teachers and pupils from the school. The mob then threatened to pull down the already dilapidated school buildings.

Reports from Tamale say part of the school land, which lies close to a road, was allegedly sold by the Dakpema to a private businessman who intends putting up a storey building there. The development of the said land was forced to stop on Sunday forcing the mob to take the action they did.

The Dakpema is reported to have sold the land at six million cedis and has ordered that if the school still needed that piece of land, it should refund the money to the businessman.

A source at the Northern Ghana Mission of the SDA explained that it is part of the church's policy to assist communities with schools, the church does not buy land for such purposes. The community usually supplies the land.

Some concerned people on Sunday stopped work on the development of the land in contention, which the supporters of the Dakpema viewed as undermining his authority. They, therefore, mobilised and armed themselves to the place and forced the school to close down for work to continue on the storey building.