Police stop UCC students' demo

In a front-page story, the Ghanaian Times reports that students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) were yesterday prevented by the police from leaving campus to demonstrate in town, after boycotting lecturers. The story says this resulted in a standoff between the police and the students at the university's eastern gate, which the students had wanted to use.

The Times says the students who threw missiles at the police from a distance, on two occasions tried to overpower the law enforcers at the gate but were kept at bay. The police, in the process, are said to have fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse the unyielding students, who attired in red, chanted slogans. According to the paper, in the heat of the exchanges, one of the students was hit in the head by a rubber bullet and was rushed to the UCC Hospital, where he received treatment.

Hospital officials said the student who was given an emergency treatment, was responding well to treatment. According to the Times, the students' demonstration was contrary to a promise made by their leadership before Lt- Colonel Charles Agbenadza, the Central Regional Minister, when they called on him to apologise for their unruly behaviour at a protest march in Cape Coast at the weekend.

The paper could not give any reason for the students' demonstration but said none of the executive of their leadership could be reached for comments.