Concern expressed as two students shot and injured in robbery incident

Mr John Rex A. Gadgekpo, Director of the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL), has expressed serious concern about a recent armed attack on students of the institute and other road users along the road linking the institute’s new campus at Legon and the main Legon –Atomic Junction Road.

This followed an armed attack by a man on two students of the institute on April 28, this year. He attempted to rob them around the precincts of the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC), during which one of them was shot and seriously wounded in the thigh while the other was hit in the ear.

Mr Gadgekpo, who spoke to the GNA, expressed worry about the seeming police inaction on the case some two weeks after it had occurred and appealed to the police to deal promptly with such cases of robbery and attacks on innocent persons around the area where thousands of students frequent on a daily basis.

Mr Jean-Phillipe N.M. Essone, 23, a Gabonese, and Mr Jean de Dieu Demanya, 26, an Ivorian–born Ghanaian, both Level 200 students of the School of Translators of the GIL, were attacked around 1700 hours while returning home after classes.

Speaking to the GNA, in his home at Dome, at the weekend, Mr Essone, who still has more than 17 pellets embedded in his right thigh, as captured in an X-ray film, said he and his colleague were walking towards Atomic Junction to board a vehicle home when a man, who was sitting with a security man at the main gate of PRESEC, suddenly got up and started walking abreast with them.

He said the man rudely asked him to hand over his bag but he refused.

“I thought it was a joke but subsequent events proved otherwise as he tried to snatch my bag and I realized he meant business so I began to struggle with him, Mr Essone said.

At that point, he said Mr Demanya joined to fight off the robber while at the same time calling out for help from people around the area.

Mr Essone said, when the robber realized he was being overpowered, he suddenly pulled out a gun, compelling them to flee but the robber shot at them as they escaped and then disappeared into a nearby bush.

Mr Essone said he realized he had been shot in the thigh and was bleeding, so he went to the Alpha Medical Centre where they were referred to the 37 Military Hospital and was admitted for four days and discharged.

Mr Demanya, who had spoken earlier to the GNA about the incident, was slightly wounded on the lobe of his ear but attends classes whilst Mr Essone, who still walks with difficulty, is recovering from and has not been able to attend classes.

Mr Kwame Anane, Headmaster of PRESEC, when contacted, confirmed that there had been numerous cases of theft in and around the school precincts, hence the decision of the authorities to build a fence wall to ward off intruders or thieves.

Asked if the police had acted on cases reported to them, Mr Anane said his duty was to report any such cases to the police whenever they occurred but it was up to the police to arrest and prosecute offenders.

Superintendent Frank W. Anning, Legon District Police Commander, told the GNA that the case involving the GIL students had just been brought to his notice and promised to take action on it.

He said he was, however, aware of previous cases of robbery and banditry around the area in question and had sent patrol teams to the area but managed to arrest only one person who was still in their custody.

He said though his outfit was well equipped to deal with the situation, his men were overstretched due to the size of the area and the number of requests made by financial institutions and important personalities in the area for security guard duties.

Supt Anning, however, gave the assurance that his outfit was strategizing to deal firmly with the situation and rid the area of robbers and bandits.

Source: GNA