“Kwadwo, I think they are going to kill us; they are in the next room and are doing strange things with guns. Please, I am scared.”
This was the “Whatsapp” text my friend and course mate sent me on the eve of that strange robbery that occurred at Pinaman hostel last Thursday. Fortunately, she wasn’t beaten but her blackberry phone was taken.
Per her description of the event, it was a caricature of a Hollywood orchestrated robbery scene, with the wanton beatings of innocent students, display of guns, machete, knives and heavily built muscles (machoism) to intimidate and to sound more political.
They caused fear and panic among innocent, powerless and depressed female students whose only crime is trying to fulfill a childhood dream of “obtaining a university degree”.
Of what essence is university degree if it can only be attained at the peril of one’s own life? Why must we suffer, all in the name of university degree that cannot even guarantee us jobs? We have suffered for quite too long a time and I believe now is the time to speak or suffer the eternal brutality of armed robbers.
It will be hypocritical and unfair to blame the university’s authorities for the current state of insecurity on campus and hostels around the university. Personally, I know they have instituted a lot of measures with the Ghana police service to counter these heinous crimes but, it is simply not enough.
Students are being robbed daily of their smart phones, laptops, tablets, monies and other valuable items at various hostels and further subjected to severe physical assault. Hitherto, the abandoning of the affordable housing project at Ayigya Zongo en route to Asokore Mampong is without doubt the cause of this menace.
These uncompleted buildings have become a safe haven for hardened criminals, drug peddlers, pick pockets, gangsters and hardcore criminals. Only government knows why these buildings still remain uncompleted.
The current state of insecurity on the campus and hostels of KNUST must come to a halt.
We the ordinary students are humbly appealing to the Chancellor of the University (his royal majesty Otumfour Osei Tutu II), the Vice Chancellor, the Minister of Education, the Students Representative Council (SRC), the Ghana Police Service and all stakeholders to come to our aid.
A nation calls for duty now!!! God bless our homeland Ghana and make us great and strong.
