Zuarungu SHS Shutdown After Students Riot Over Phone Theft, 4 Students Arrested
- The Upper East Regional Minister ordered the immediate closure of a senior high school following a riot
- Four students were arrested and are currently in police custody following the unrest at Zuarungu SHS
- Ethnic tensions between Frafra students and Kusasi students were said to be at the centre of the riots
A riot at Zuarungu Senior High School erupted over allegations that three Frafra students stole mobile phones, leading to confrontations with Kusasi students.
In response to escalating tensions, the Upper East Regional Minister requested military and police reinforcements amid reports of students attempting to seize a police officer's weapon.
Source: Original
Four students were arrested and are currently in police custody as investigations proceed.
Students at Zuarungu SHS, in the Bolgatanga East District of Ghana, have been sent home after a violent riot erupted over the alleged theft of mobile phones.
What caused the Zuarungu SHS riot?
The unrest reportedly began when three Frafra students were accused of stealing phones and were confronted by Kusasi students, leading to a physical altercation.
The situation escalated significantly, resulting in the burning of a shop owned by a Kusasi woman outside the school, known as the 'Beatin Boot market'.
Witnesses reported that some students were armed, and one student attempted to grab a police officer's weapon during the chaos, prompting the regional minister to call for additional security reinforcements, including police and military personnel.
Agile Ajaratu, a shop owner whose business was destroyed, lamented that by the time the fire service arrived, her shop had already been completely consumed by flames.
Source: Original
Due to the intensity of the riot, students from the Bawku area were unable to leave the school safely.
Consequently, the regional minister, along with local authorities and school officials, coordinated with other schools - Bolgatanga, Zamse, Kongo, Gambigo senior high schools - to arrange for buses to evacuate students under police and military support.
He denied allegations that students were seen with firearms, stating that only one student sustained a forehead injury during the chaos when police intervened.
Zuarungu riots: Regional minister confirms arrests
Regarding the situation, Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Atanga Akamugri, told YEN.com.gh that one of the students was injured and confirmed the arrests.
"The report that we had is that it was one of the students on the site who got injured on the forehead.”
He added that the school will remain closed while investigations are conducted, and a meeting with parents will be held to discuss the situation.
The minister also emphasised that punitive measures would be taken against students who broke school rules, particularly those involved in theft and violence.
He urged school authorities to report incidents of this nature to the police promptly and called on parents to support efforts to enforce school regulations regarding mobile phone usage.
Pope John students destroy their confiscated phones
YEN.com.gh also previously reported that some SHS students at Pope John and Minor Seminary were compelled to destroy confiscated mobile phones during their assembly.
Per regulations governing public second-cycle schools in the country, students are prohibited from the use of mobile phones on campus, with netizens reacting to the incident.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
