Security scare resurfaces at Cape Vars

A recent attack by armed robbers on the village of Amamoma near the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has ignited renewed concerns about security on campus and its environments.

The armed attack on a group of non-resident students reportedly lasted about three (3) hours with one of the victims hospitalized with serious cutlass wounds.

Some students who interacted with our correspondent said they are disturbed about the frequent attacks and insecurity on campus. They also accused the university of doing very little to curb the situation.

“The security system on campus is extremely poor. Security officials here are ill-equipped, with some lacking the needed experience in security matters,” they said.

Others questioned the preparedness of the university’s security team to deal swiftly with robbery cases. While blaming the authorities for their failure to provide the needed security, they equally faulted their landlords for not providing security in their homes despite the huge amounts charged as rent.

“All that they think about is the millions they make from us,” a third student complained, adding “I stay in an area called Kwaprow and there is this watchman who comes to the house every evening, drank. He sleeps and snores, and takes his salary at the end of the month. How can such a person protect those of us in the house?”

Speaking about the students’ concerns, the President of the Students Representative Council Peter Jackson Wadja agreed that the poor security structures are responsible for the armed attacks and robberies. He told a campus based radio station that the security personnel fail to properly screen and inspect vehicles that come in and out of the campus.

“How do you conduct checks only on vehicles that are going out of the school instead of those coming in?” he quizzed.

Mr. Wadja also condemned the University for ignoring security issues in areas housing the non-residential students on the landlords, because the area is not under their (University) jurisdiction.

UCC Public Relations Officer, Jeff Onyame however says the SRC President’s claims are false.

“A joint patrol exercise between our security men and that of the police is still on” he said, but appealed to the landlords to complement their efforts by providing the needed security for the students residing in their apartments.

The UCC campus and the ‘non-residential zones’ appear deserted two weeks after school resumed, but university authorities told the dailyEXPRESS that the seemingly low students’ turnout is because many of them took advantage of the University’s policy of allowing students to register for fresh courses a week before the actual re-opening.

The inability of the university to accommodate the large number of students admitted to pursue various programmes has culminated in most of them looking for accommodation in the surrounding villages.

It would be recalled that a little over two years ago, concerns over the safety of students became an issue following the snatching of students mobile phones and related cases of stabbing by an unknown syndicate.