Aftermath of student’s killing: Gambaga College of Education on 24-hour security

The campus of the Gambaga College of Education in the North-East Region has been provided with 24-hour security by the Ghana Police Service.

The decision became necessary following a recent attack on eight male students in the community by some unknown gunmen who shot at them, leading to the death of one of the students, with another sustaining gunshot wounds.

Additionally, a team of police officers has been detailed to patrol the area where the incident occurred to enable the students to go about their normal duties without fear.

Fact-finding visit

The Gambaga District Police Commander, Superintendent Francis Adjei Brobbey, made this known when the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor, paid a fact-finding visit to the school last Friday.

Prof. Jinapor, who led a team from GTEC to gather more information about the incident, met the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) in the company of the management of the institution, and later visited the injured student at the hospital.

He also paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Mamprugu Kingdom, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga, and his elders before interacting with all the students.

Supt. Brobbey indicated that investigations into the incident were still ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators to face justice, saying “we have put in place informants to get the culprits arrested to bring them to book”.

Incidence

The first attack occurred last Friday round 7:30 p.m. when some assailants shot a student who was part of some level 400 students doing their out-programme teaching practice outside the college’s campus.

After the incident, the student was rushed to the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu for emergency medical attention but was later referred to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital where he was treated and discharged.

In less than a month after the earlier incident, on March 12, 2025, around 11p.m, a group of final-year students who were also out for their teaching practice went to watch a football match within the community.

On their return to their residence after the game, two gunmen shot at a group of eight students leading to the death of one of them and inflicting serious gunshot wounds to another. The injured student who is currently in a stable condition and is receiving treatment at the Baptist Medical Centre.

The Principal of the college, Kassim Korah Nantomah, said the management remained resolute to provide the needed security to the students in and outside of the premises of the institution for the benefit of all.

He described the recent incident as very worrying as it had the tendency to destroy the reputation of the college, saying “ if such incidents are regularly recorded, it will definitely push away potential students”.

No shutdown

Speaking during the meetings, Prof. Jinapor, who welcomed the provision of 24-hour security in the school, indicated that the recent happenings did not warrant a shutdown of the college and therefore called on students to remain calm in the wake of the attacks.

He used the opportunity to call on all the stakeholders to be mindful of the image of the school which is already facing a number of challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, saying “such bad happenings can derail the development of the school”.

“When the institution is always in the public domain for bad reasons, nobody would want to enrol their ward, which is likely to make the institution’s survival very difficult,” Prof. Jinapor cautioned.

Compromise security

While calling on the students to be security conscious and desist from acts that could compromise their own security, he urged the community members, management and the students to conduct themselves in a manner that would safeguard the image of the institution.

Furthermore, he disclosed that GTEC, together with the management, would take care of the medical bills of the injured student and equally support the family of the deceased student to give him a fitting burial.

Writer’s email; gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh.