KNUST riots: Prosecute culprits – Muntaka

Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, has said that the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) should be held responsible for the violence which resulted in the destruction of over 40 cars, 10 motorbikes and the administration block of the university.

He therefore wants authorities to take action to identify the students in order to prosecute the culprits involved in the destruction of the properties worth millions of Ghana cedis since the offence constitutes a criminality.

Speaking to Class 91.3FM’s Parliamentary Correspondent, Ekow Annan, on Friday, 26 October 2018, Mr Mubarak said: “If our students today are behaving so violently and in 20years… they are going to be leaders of this country and because of politicking we don’t muster courage but because of vote-seeking we try to put all these things under the carpet that is most unfortunate”.

“As for the students; because of the rampaging, it is a criminal offence and should be treated as a crime. The SRC have to be held responsible, we need to go through the footage and get the students who were holding the sticks etc. and get them prosecuted because it is the only way to make people responsible”.

The students’ demonstration was in protest to a directive that there will no longer be vigils and gatherings to sing ‘jama’ songs.

Before Monday’s protest, 10 students and one alumnus were arrested on Friday and later released. This, coupled with the manhandling of some of the students by the school’s private security got the students infuriated, leading to the protest march.

The peaceful march turned violent when the police tried to disperse the crowd.

Mr Mubarak condemned the brutalities meted out to the students and pointed out that the private security of the university should have acted professionally.

He was of the view that it was legitimate for the students to embark on a peaceful demonstration but wrong for them to engage in violence and property destruction.

“The brutalities that happened were very unfortunate …You don’t go there and be beating them (students) as if you are there to kill them,” he bemoaned.

Source : Ghana/ClassFMonline.com