Police condemn Assistant Head of Ejisu SHTS for unlawful detention of students

Police in Ashanti Region have invited Assistant Headmaster of Ejisu Secondary Technical School for questioning over the detention of two students in his office.

Public Relations Officer at the Ashanti Regional Command tells JoyNews a student suspect is also assisting police with investigations.

“The other suspect [student] is also assisting police in our investigations whilst we also invited the said assistant headmaster to assist us,” he revealed.

Kofi Appiah allegedly forced the students to strip half-naked and held them overnight for allegedly stealing the school’s electric stabiliser worth GHS4,000.

A taxi driver who spotted them attempting to scale a fence wall, with the stolen item, caught and handed them over to authorities on July 21, 2020, at about 8 pm.

One of the students is said to have drank liquid soap he picked from the detention room in what is believed to be attempted suicide.

He started foaming from the mouth when the colleague shouted for help to attract teachers and students who rushed him to hospital.

Police describe the Assistant Headmaster’s action is illegal and condemnable.

ASP Godwin Ahianyo who is the  Public Relations Officer at the Ashanti Regional Command tells Joynews added, the teacher “has no right” to treat the students that way.

”  You can’t put somebody in a room and lock the person overnight. Per our laws, I don’t think anybody can do that unless a police officer or a security officer. He [assistant headmaster] has no right,” he said.

Section 12 (C) of the Criminal and Other Offenses Act 1960, Act 30 says a private person may arrest without warrant any person who in his presence commits any offence in the nature of stealing or fraud.

The Criminal and Other offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30) provides per Section 12 (titled Arrest by private persons without warrant) that:

“(1) A private person may arrest without warrant any person who in his presence commits—

(a) any offence involving the use of force or violence;

(b) any offence whereby bodily harm is caused to any person;

(c) any offence in the nature of stealing or fraud;

(d) any offence involving injury to public property; or

(e) any offence involving injury to property owned by, or in the lawful care or custody of, that private person.

But ASP Ahianyo, however, says the Assistant Headmaster abused the provision.

“If you suspect anybody to have committed an offence, the appropriate place to send the person is the police station.

You cannot take the law into your hands and subject the person to any kind of treatment,” he explained.