Islamic SHS shooting: Deputy Regional Police Commander removed, 2 Senior Officers interdicted

DCOP Kwasi Akomeah-Apraku, acting Deputy Ashanti Regional Commander, has been removed from his position following the shooting incident at the Islamic Senior High School in Kumasi on Monday, June 13.

He has been also interdicted together with two other officers, ACP Mr George Ankomah, the Regional Operations Officer and ACP Mr Alex Cudjoe Acquah, the Suame Divisional Police Commander.

The latest information comes after the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, led a team from the Police Headquarters in Accra to Kumasi following the disturbances in the Senior High School and assess the situation on the ground.

Portions of a statement issued and signed by Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Chief Superintendent of Police and Director, Public Affairs, said:

“It was further established that even though nobody was hit by a bullet the Police handling of the incident was poor and fell short of our standard operating procedure on crowd control.

“As a result, DCOP Kwesi Akomeah-Apraku who was acting as the Regional Commander has been removed from his position and has been interdicted.

“Two other officers, ACP Mr George Ankomah, the Regional Operations Officer and ACP Mr Alex Cudjoe Acquah, the Suame Divisional Police Commander have also been interdicted to make way for a thorough investigation into the matter.”

The Ghana Police Service admitted that a better approach to tackling the riot at Kumasi Islamic Senior High School could have been employed.

The Service noted that a more calculated tactic could have led to a much salient resolution to the chaos and not the development that was seen in the Ashanti Region on Monday.

Background

About 25 students were hospitalised after Police allegedly opened tear gas on them while they were protesting frequent crashes of pedestrians in front of the School.

The victims were said to be part of a group of students who blocked the Abrepo Junction-Barekese road during the protest.

Sources say the Police personnel were deployed to the School to maintain law and order.

The angry students massed up on the road in protest, as they called for the construction of speed ramps on that section of the road.

Ambulance Service

The National Ambulance Service has pegged the number of victims admitted to hospital, at 25.

Regional Director of the Service, Sommit Duut, says all the victims are responding to treatment.

He, however, stressed that they have not treated any traumatic injury like that of gunshot wounds. According to him, the students rather suffered respiratory distress.

“All that we treated were just difficulty in breathing and people who were exhausted – we didn’t have any bloody situation.