KNUST student kills himself by jumping from top of hall

Kumasi, May 15, GNA - Geoffrey Acheampong, a first-year Rural Arts student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Friday killed himself after jumping and crushing to the ground from the top of the eighth floor of the Unity Hall. Acheampong, who resides in room 80M Republic Hall but ironically committed the act at the Unity Hall, did not die on the spot but rather on the operation table in the theatre of the KNUST hospital. His body has since been deposited at the morgue of the School of Medical Sciences (SMS) of the University for autopsy.

Briefing the GNA on the incident, Dr F.K. Forson, Head of the Security Services of the University, said report on the autopsy was not yet ready. He said since the report of the autopsy was not yet available, it will be pre-mature for anyone to attempt to assign reasons or determine the rationale behind Acheampong's death.

Dr Forson recalled that it was the same deceased who was rescued by the KNUST security personnel when he attempted to jump to his death at the Unity Hall on May 10. He said when the deceased was rescued during his first attempt he was sent to the university hospital where he was detained, treated and discharged to enable him write his examination.

Dr Forson, who is also a senior lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, admitted that the Friday incident, which resulted in Acheampong's death, was swift and unexpected and thereby took everybody by surprise. He told the GNA that at about 11.30 am, a call came through to him from the security personnel about the incident and before he got to the scene, a group of students had already rushed Acheampong who was then seriously injured to the University hospital where he died.