53 Arrested over assault on school

The Kumasi Police have arrested 53 suspects believed to be members of a group called ‘Israel’ which recently attacked and assaulted the pupils and teachers of Oforikrom Metropolitan Basic and Junior Secondary School at Oforikrom in Kumasi.

Sixteen of the suspects were identified by the school children as being among the group that assaulted them on their school premises at an identification and screening parade at the Manhyia Divisional Police Headquarters in Kumasi.

Those identified by the children were between 17 and 32 years of age and included one Malian. The police could, however, not provide the names of all the suspects. They will be put before court after the police complete their investigations.

Mr Gideon Boateng of the Police Public Relation Unit who disclosed this to Graphic, said on January 28, 2003, a group of people who have named themselves “Israel” attacked and assaulted pupils and teachers of the Oforikrom Metropolitan Basic and Junior Secondary School for preventing them from playing football on the school’s field.

The assault led to a female teacher falling into coma, a 9-year-old pupil sustaining severe injuries resulting in her admission to the University Hospital while others sustained various degrees of injury.

Mr. Boateng said the matter was reported to the police but when they went to the scene, the suspects had already fled and so the police mounted a search for them. He explained that the police were informed of the area in which the group operates in the metropolis.

Last Friday, a team of policemen, led by DSP Mr I.K. Buabeng, Commander in charge of the Police Buffalo Unit raided a place called ‘Israel’ at Oforikrom and arrested 53 people believed to be among the gang that attacked the school.

Members of the public have of late expressed concern about the existence of gangs that terrorise people in the Kumasi metropolis. Some of these gangs go by names like Talibans, al Qaeda network and Israel.