UCC suspends hall week, SRC celebrations following clashes

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has temporarily suspended all hall and Students Representative Council (SRC) week celebrations with immediate effect, following the violent clashes and acts of vandalism which occurred last Saturday.

A statement issued in Cape Coast yesterday and signed by the Registrar of UCC, Mr John Kofi Nyan, said management was making frantic efforts to bring the perpetrators of the acts of vandalism to book.

It advised the students to desist from any violent and unlawful actions that bring the reputation of the university into disrepute and added that: “The university community is herby informed that there will be presence of police on campus to protect lives and properties”.

According to the statement, “following the violent clashes and vandalism that occurred on campus during the early hours of Saturday, February 23, 2020, all hall week celebrations and the SRC Week celebrations are hereby temporarily suspended with immediate effect”

Regional CID

It announced that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Central Regional Police Command had taken over investigations into the violent exchanges that occurred between students of the Oguaa and Atlantic halls of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) at the weekend.

No arrests had so far been made but the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Irene Oppong, said investigations were ongoing.

She gave an assurance that the police would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators were brought to book.

At midnight last Saturday, violent clashes between the two halls led to the destruction of property running into thousands of cedis and the incident also left four persons injured but they had been treated at the university’s hospital and discharged.

Calm

Calm had since been restored to the university campus but some students who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they were anxious and did not feel secure.

They, therefore, called for the beefing up of security personnel, especially during hall week celebrations.

According to the students, the clashes began when some students of the Atlantic Hall came to the frontal arena of the Oguaa Hall with songs and tried to forcibly enter the hall.

When they were resisted, the irate students attacked the hall with stones and smashed the window glasses of the Junior Common Room (JRC), set two motorbikes parked at the hall ablaze, broke some glass windows before trying to set ablaze portions of the hall.

They also smashed the notice boards at the hall. The Atlantic hall also suffered some damages as the signage of the hall was destroyed and a statue in front of the hall brought down.

The management of UCC, in a press release early at the weekend, said the incident was regrettable, describing it as criminal and unfortunate.

It said the university with the support of the relevant security agencies, especially the Ghana Police Service, had initiated investigations into the incident.