Two students shot and injured in robbery incident

Accra, May 15, GNA - Mr John Rex A. Gadzekpo, Director of the Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL), has expressed serious concern about a recent armed attack on two students of the School of Translators of the institute.

The students were attacked along the road linking the institute's new campus at Legon and the main Legon-Atomic Junction Road.

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.

A man alleged to be using a locally-made pistol was said to have attacked the students on April 28, this year, and attempted to rob them of their schoolbags around the precincts of the Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (PRESEC).

When the students resisted, the robber shot at them, seriously wounding one of them in the thigh while the other was hit in the ear.

Mr Gadzekpo, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), expressed worry about the seeming police inaction on the case some two weeks after it had occurred.

He has, therefore, appealed to the Legon Police to deal promptly with such cases of robbery and attacks on innocent persons around the area where hundreds of students frequent on a daily basis.

Speaking to the GNA in his home at Dome at the weekend, Mr Essone, who still had 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 fight back," Mr Essone said.

Just then, he said the man pulled out a gun and fired, compelling them to run for their lives.

Mr Essone said when they realized that the robber was trying to reload his gun Mr Demanya attacked him while at the same time calling out for help.

When the robber realized that he was being overpowered, he fled into the nearby bush.

Mr Essone said he then realized that he had been shot in the thigh and was bleeding and, therefore, reported to the Alpha Medical Centre which referred them to the 37 Military Hospital for medical attention.

The following day, he reported the matter to the Legon Police before returning to the 37 Military Hospital where he was admitted for four days and discharged.

According to Mr Essone, two clear weeks after reporting the matter to the police, he had not heard anything from them.

Mr Demanya, who had spoken earlier to the GNA about the incident, was slightly wounded on the lobe of his ear but attends classes.

Mr Essone, however, still walks with difficulty and has not been able to attend classes. He is to report back at the 37 Military Hospital on Monday, May 16.

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 and 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.