A car was also set ablaze
The University of Ghana (UG) management has launched investigations into the clash that occurred between some students of the Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah halls, indicating that persons found culpable in the acts of violence will be sanctioned appropriately.
Over the weekend, an inter-hall fight broke out between residents of the Commonwealth and John Mensah Sarbah halls of the university, resulting in injuries and damage to personal and public properties.
The incident is said to have happened during the celebration of the John Mensah Sarbah Hall’s ‘Sarbahfest’ on Friday.
An eyewitness said as part of the festivities, the residents of the John Mensah Sarbah Hall went on a procession through the streets of the university.
However, one of them strayed to the Commonwealth Hall, where he was allegedly beaten up and his phone seized.
The victim returned to Mensah Sarbah Hall and reported the incident, his colleagues followed him to the Commonwealth Hall and a fight ensued.
In the process, a vehicle parked at the Mensah Sarbah Hall car park was set ablaze.
“Besides burning the car, they came to fight, destroyed a lot of things and took away one of the statues at the Sarbah Hall,” the eyewitness said.
The university management, condemning the incident in a statement issued on August 6, 2022, said the ‘needless acts of violence’ have led to injuries and destruction of property.
“Efforts to identify the perpetrators are ongoing, and those found culpable of breaking national laws or university regulations, will be appropriately sanctioned,” the statement signed by the Registrar, Emelia Agyei-Mensah, said.
It further called on the “students of the two halls to immediately halt any planned continuation of these acts.”
Police Intervention
Reports say it took the timely intervention of the police to quell the riot.
Personnel from the Ghana Police Service have been deployed to the University of Ghana campus following the clash.
Even though the incident happened on Friday, the presence of the personnel is to ensure that calm is restored on campus for academic work to proceed without interruptions.
The university management has assured “the university community of its resolve to ensure that academic work and other activities proceed without hindrance, and of its commitment to safeguarding peace and stability on all campuses of the university.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri