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Scores of students at Tamale Technical University (TaTU) have reportedly sustained injuries following a violent clash with personnel of the Ghana Police Service during a protest on Tuesday, September 16.
The demonstration began as a peaceful march on campus, with students voicing their grievances over what they described as systemic neglect of student welfare, financial mismanagement, and unjustified fee hikes by the university’s management.
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Their grievances included poor sanitation despite the payment of sanitation fees, absence of medical services despite compulsory medical examination charges, underdeveloped infrastructure despite development levies, and allegations of diverted examination funds.
The situation, however, escalated when some protesters set tyres ablaze and pelted stones, prompting police to fire warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd. Reports indicate that at least three students were injured, with two sustaining head wounds and another suffering a leg injury.
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NPP Youth Wing Condemns Police Response
The National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly condemned the Ghana Police Service over the incident.
In a statement signed by the National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, the use of force against students was described as “unacceptable and undemocratic.”
The statement further noted:
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salam-mustapha
As a youth wing, we believe that a well-trained and adequately equipped police force in riot control should have acted professionally in calming down the students without resorting to brutalisation. Tamale Technical University is a citadel of knowledge and such matters should be handled with diligence.
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The NPP Youth Wing called for calm among both the student body and university authorities, urging dialogue as the best path towards resolving the issues that triggered the protest.
Additionally, the group appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to immediately call the Northern Regional Police Command to order and ensure that officers responsible for what they termed “sordid and despicable violence” against the students are held accountable.
National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) statement