Two "Ponding" Students Hospitalized

Two students of the University College of Education, Winneba (UCEW), who were involved in a bloody clash with the Winneba Police have been admitted to the Hospital in a critical condition.

Two other students spent two nights of their academic calendar in police cells as a result. The students, mostly from the Ghartey Hall (formerly Liberty Hall) of the University, were returning from a float as part of their hall week celebration last Friday when the incident occurred.


They met a uniformed police man on a bicycle around the Otoo Memorial Hospital in Winneba and playfully started pouring sachets of pure water on him.


An eye witness who briefed Weekend Heritage said that the action of the students angered the police man who fired two warning shots to apparently stop the students from "ponding him".


The eye witness said the students in response rather rushed on the policeman, formed a shield around him, seized his bicycle and rifle and pushed him into the premises of Otoo memorial Hospital, a hospital near the spot where the incident took place.


According to witness, the students later passed the policeman's rifle and the bicycle to him over the wall built around the hospital.


Weekend Heritage also learnt that the news about the incident spread like wild fire around the Winneba township and the Northern and Southern campuses of the UCEW. The news of the incident provoked tension in the town with some students allegedly swearing to 'sort it out" with the police no matter the consequences.

It took the timely intervention of the Paramount Chief of Winneba, Neeyi Ghartey, and the University authorities to calm the students down and to prevent a possible disaster.


Weekend Heritage intelligence gathered that some student leaders of the UCEW who later went to the Winneba Police Station to check on their arrested colleagues had their share of the police anger through some slaps.


Another student who was allegedly hit on the head with the butt of a rifle by a policeman is said to be on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.


President of the UCEW Students Representative Council, Mr. Thomas Kofi Abor, and the UCEW's National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) delegate, Mr. Abu Forgor, confirmed the story and promised an "amicable settlement of the case" between the students and the police.


Contacted the Winneba police would not tell their side of the story.


All that the Winneba District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) M.K. Gasu would say was that "the matter is under investigation".