Killed students will receive justice – Ejurahene assures

The Chiefs and people of Ejura have resolved to work with the Ghana Police Service and the judiciary to ensure that justice is served the families of three school girls killed by a speeding vehicle last Tuesday.

The parties have also resolved not to take any unilateral actions, including attacking the Ejura Police station, but channel any grievances to the chiefs or Imams for resolution.

This came to light when the Ejurahene, Barimah Osei Hwedie II, convened an emergency meeting between key stakeholders in the town following a violent attack on the Ejura-Sekyedumase District Police Station by youth in the town who suspected that the Police were trying to sweep the killings under the carpet and shield the offending driver.

Two female students of the Ejura Islamic Senior High Idrissu Maridiya and Shaibu Farisa, both 19 years, were killed in the afternoon of March 13, 2018 when a Nissan Navara pick up vehicle heading to Sunyani from Atebubu run over them near the Ejura Agriculture School.

The two were part of a group of four students returning home from school, and were pronounced dead at the Ejura government hospital. A third student has since passed away, while the last one is in still in a critical condition.

The youth were reportedly angered by the decision of the police to move the driver and the accident vehicle to the Mampong Divisional Police headquarters, while the bodies of the deceased had been detained by the hospital for more than four days, preventing their burial according to Islamic doctrine which decrees burial as soon as possible.

Speaking at the meeting on Sunday the Ejurahene, Barimah Osei Hwedie II, admonished the youth to desist from any actions that might bring insecurity to “the peaceful town of Ejura.”

Barimah Osei Hwedie urged the leaders to educate their subjects on the tenets of rule of law, and encouraged the police to arrest and prosecute anyone who flouts the law, especially the ringleaders of the rampaging youth.

He assured residents of Ejura that everything is going to be done to ensure there is justice for the families of the deceased students, as well as the family of the one still on admission.

Barimah Hwedie has also vowed to personally work with the Police and the courts until the final determination of the matter.

The meeting was attended by the Zongo Chief and his elders, the Chief Imam and other Imams, leadership of both the NDC and NPP, officials of the Ejura-Sekyedumase Municipal Assembly, the Municipal and Divisional Police Commanders, the head of the Ejura Islamic Senior High School, and the families of the accident victims.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Barimah Osei Hwedie said he was committed to ensuring the welfare of all his subjects.

“These are our children, and my elders and I will do everything possible to ensure that justice is done. I want to assure my people that my elders and I will not sit by idle and watch events unfold. We will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.”

“Ejura is a peaceful place, and we will do everything possible to maintain the peace,” Barimah Osei Hwedie concluded.