The Akyem New Tafo District Court presided by Her Worship Josephine Akyaa Dwamena has remanded nine (9) accused persons into police custody and referred two to juvenile court for attacking teachers at Anyinasin Methodist Junior High School in Abuakwa North Municipality in the Eastern region.
The case has been adjourned to August 9, 2022.
They were charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit threat of harm, threat of harm, being on premises for unlawful purpose , and Possession of restricted drugs without lawful authority.
The accused persons are Boateng Andrew alias Sunday ,22(unemployed) ,Edward Appiah alias Proph, 20(unemployed) ,Marfo Albert Alias Vibes ,21,(unemployed) ,Afrifa Jeffrey alias Wiskid ,20, student of Ghana Telecom University, Accra , Ahadzi Christopher alias Pin Code ,27, farmer ,Okyere Samuel alias pocket 21,mason and Amoako Prince alias Zinabu,23 , unemployed.
The rest are Annor Benjamin alias Time Will Tell, 17, student of WBM Zion SHS, Tiboah-Addo Samuel alias Young god,17, student of Koforidua Secondary Technical Henry Nyarko alias Control, 19, a Glass mender, and Kwasi Gyentu Darkwa, 45, a chemical seller all residents of Akyem Anyinasin.
The Prosecuting Officer, Chief Inspector Banabas Mends told the court that, on July 5,2022 ,it came to the notice of the teachers of Akyem Anyinasin Methodist Junior High school that some of the students were using drugs in the school. The teachers later established that a student by the name Amoako, nephew of accused chemical seller Gyentu Darkwa took the drug being diazepam from the drug store of his Uncle and send them to the school and gave them to his classmates.
On July 26,2022 between 9:40pm to 10:50pm, the accused persons (excluding the drug store owner), and others at large who were armed with clubs confronted the complainants in the case – Owusu Asabre, 28, Asamoah Kissi Stanley ,27 ,and Boafo Evans ,29, all teachers in the school to intimidate them.
In the process, they forced one of the teachers – Owusu Asabre to kneel for minutes as his punishment.
They subsequently threatened to harm the teachers if they joke with them.
They had also threatened the teachers earlier for alleging they supplied the Diazepam (D10) drug to the students.
On July 27th, the Parents Teachers Association(PTA) called a meeting on the matter but the accused persons stormed there to distract the meeting.
One July 29, 2022 official report was lodged at the Police station which led to the arrest of the accused persons on August 1, 2022.
Police established that Diazepam is a restricted drug which must not be sold at a drug store.
The court after taking the plea of the accused persons remanded them to reappear after a week but referred Annor Benjamin, 17, student at W.B.M Zion Senior High School formerly AMEZSS and Tiboah Addo Samuel, 17, student of Koforidua Secondary Technical to a Juvenile Court.
Family members of the accused persons flooded the court premises. Some could not hold back their tears when the court remanded them.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Abuakwa North ,Alhaji Umar Bodinga who was in court said the assembly will not tolerate drug abuse and attacks against teachers hence the Prosecution will serve as deterrent to the youth.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service has reopened Anyinasin Methodist JHS which was closed down on Friday, July 29, 2022 following the incident.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah