Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Samuel Awuku, has called for students involved in the violent clashes between Okuapeman Senior High School (OKUASS) and Mount Sinai Senior High School to face appropriate consequences, while their parents should be made to pay for the damage caused.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen following violent reprisal attacks between the two schools in the Akuapem North Municipality, Mr Awuku described the destruction of school property as “barbaric”.
He stated that the incident should be treated as a criminal matter rather than merely an issue for the schools or the local assembly to resolve.
“I believe this should be handled as a criminal matter. The students involved should suffer the consequences, and their parents should also pay for the damages, not just the assembly,” he said.
According to Mr Awuku, rivalry between the schools has existed for some time, largely around sporting and other competitions, but had never previously reached the level of violence witnessed in the latest incident.
“The rivalry has been there for a while, but we know it’s just sports and other competitions, not to this extent,” he stated.
He explained that the two schools are located adjacent to each other without a separating wall, but said the relationship between their management has remained cordial.
“These schools are adjacent to each other, just that there is no wall that separates them. The headmasters are even cordial with each other, but the students have resorted to violence over this rivalry,” he said.
Mr Awuku said he was inspecting both schools together with the education directorate to assess the extent of the destruction.
He said the damage caused by the students was extensive and could not simply be reversed without accountability.
“The damage is untenable,” he said.
He commended the Ghana Police Service, teachers, headmasters and education officials for their efforts to restore calm, noting that the police intervened to control the situation.
“The police were there to calm the situation down and they left. I don’t think they envisaged this,” he stated.
Following the incident, authorities have directed the students to return home temporarily as measures are taken to address the situation.
“We have given them a break. We’ve told the students to go home. For now, the situation is calm, and we have released the students to go home indefinitely,” Mr Awuku said.
He appealed to parents to use the period to speak to their children about the consequences of violence and the destruction of public property.
“I am urging the parents to speak to their children when they get home,” he added.
The violent reprisal attacks, which occurred at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, resulted in the destruction of property at both schools.
At Okuapeman SHS, the Visual Arts studio, a teachers’ office and seven classrooms were destroyed by fire. Examination papers and certificates were also reportedly burnt.
Six students of Okuapeman SHS sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital for medical attention.
At the nearby Mount Sinai Senior High School, a storeroom and the boys’ washroom were also set ablaze.
Following an assessment of the damage, the Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) directed that both schools be temporarily closed.
Mr Awuku expressed appreciation to all stakeholders who worked through the night to restore calm, saying the situation required collective efforts to prevent a recurrence.
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