Four students of Sunyani Polytechnic were physically assaulted on Sunday and wounded by a group of people at Drobo in Jaman South District. Abugri Mamudu, HND Accountancy three, Lamini Ibrahim, HND Marketing three, Atia Moses, HND Marketing two and Beyou Amatus, HND Marketing three were among a group of nine members of the polytechnic's branch of Tertiary Education Institutional Network (TEIN) of the NDC invited by executives of the NDC in the district to assist in monitoring the run-off.
Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the incident on telephone Mr. Pierre Kwabena Ankomah, the defeated NDC Parliamentary candidate in the December 7 election, said he had personally led the students from Sunyani on a mini bus. On reaching the CEPS barrier at Babianeha they were subjected to a thorough search by a team of police personnel for about 30 minutes, ostensibly as a result of misinformation. Mr. Ankomah said on arrival at Drobo the students were briefed on the role they would play and were asked to go and lodge at Ansu Hotel at Japekrom, near Drobo. He said a local supporter of the NDC, Mr. Richard Sekyere, alleged that he and the students were trekking to Japekrom at about 2130 hours on Saturday when the group attacked them and asked of their mission in the town. He said Mr. Sekyere told them they were students and that they even showed their ID cards but they branded them as thieves and started beating them.
One police Constable Twumasi who went to their rescue was alleged "to have added a few slaps to their (students) woes, knocked the heads of two of them and sent them to the charge office at Drobo where he asked the police on duty to handcuff and put them behind bars". Mr. Ankomah said the NDC executives on hearing about the case reported the matter to the station officer, Chief Inspector Oppong Asamoah, who took their statements and issued them with medical forms to attend hospital. "In a gangster-style fashion, the group began parading on motorbikes till a policeman was asked to lead the injured students and some NDC executives to St. Mary's hospital at Drobo."
Two of the students, Abugri Mamudu and Lamini Ibrahim, were admitted at the hospital while the other two, Atia Moses and Beyuo Amatus, were treated and discharged. The other five students escaped unhurt from the assailants and the police are investigating the case.
Two men were arrested at Gagbire near Garu in the Upper East Region on Sunday for allegedly intimidating voters at a polling station. Amos Alale, 38, and Albert Alalzuuga, 41, both hail from the Garu area but are resident at Tamale.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Atiim Ayisala of the District Police Headquarters in Garu told the GNA that the two travelled home to Gagbire for Sunday's run-off election and while at a polling station they allegedly went round instructing people in the queue to vote for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Party agents and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who got wind of it reported the matter to the Garu-Tempane District Chief Executive who in turn informed the Regional Minister, Mr. Alhassan Samari.
The minister informed the police who arrested the two suspects. Mr Ayisala said the two had been released on a police inquiry bail, pending further investigations. In a related development, 27-year-old man, Alhassan Muniru, was also apprehended at a polling station in Garu on Sunday with two ballot papers in his possession. Mr Ayisala said supporters of the various parties pounced on Alhassan and beat him up. Police moved in and took him to hospital.
