KNUST: Hall, SRC week celebrations suspended indefinitely

Hall week and Student Representative Council (SRC) week celebrations at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been suspended indefinitely.

The suspension follows the violence that erupted between two rival halls on the KNUST campus that left 12 persons injured and properties destroyed.

Also, the massing up of students leading up to ‘morale’ activities and procession has been suspended indefinitely.

Random security checks of persons and vehicles entering and exiting the university are to be carried out.

These are part of the measures taken by the Executive Committee of the KNUST on Friday, August 19, following the disturbances that occurred on Thursday.

The Transport Department of the school has also been directed to take custody of all the vehicles that were vandalised during the disturbance and make the appropriate recommendations for repairs.

Background

Violence broke out between two halls of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Thursday, 18 August 2022.

The clash that started on the school’s campus around 5 pm was between the University Hall (Katanga) and Unity Hall (Continental).

This left 12 students injured, whiles properties and three cars parked in front of the Continental Hall were destroyed.

The riot is said to have ensued when students from Katanga attempted to use a route in front of Continental in a procession as part of their Hall week celebrations.

University Hall, as part of the celebrations, commenced what they call a ‘Zulu procession’ through some parts of the campus but their colleagues at Unity Hall tried to stop them from using their frontage.

This led to students pelting stones at each other.

For over a decade, the two halls agreed never to go beyond the Peace Junction when on processions.

Personnel from the Ghana police have been deployed to the school to prevent the situation from further escalating.

REGSEC’s reaction 

The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) issued a press release warning the students to desist from unlawful activities following the clash.

“The REGSEC is informing all students and residents of the university community that all actions intended by any person or group of persons to disturb the current peaceful security in the university will be addressed with the legal instrument of the state.”

“It is requested that people nursing such intentions desist from that and go by the rule of law as any breach of the peace in KNUST and the region will be addressed appropriately,” the press release added.