The Ghana Police Service has deployed 24-hour security to the Gambaga College of Education in the North-East Region following a recent attack on eight male students, which resulted in the death of one and left another with gunshot wounds.

In addition to the campus security, a police patrol team has been assigned to the area where the attack occurred to ensure the safety of students.

Fact-Finding Visit

The Gambaga District Police Commander, Superintendent Francis Adjei Brobbey, disclosed this when the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor, led a fact-finding team to the school last Friday.

Prof. Jinapor and his team met with the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) and the management of the college, visited the injured student at the hospital, and paid a courtesy call on the Overlord of Mamprugu Kingdom, the Nayiri, Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga.

Supt. Brobbey assured that investigations were ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators, stating, “We have put in place informants to get the culprits arrested to bring them to book.”

Incident Details

The first attack occurred on Friday, February 14, 2025, around 7:30 p.m. when unknown assailants shot a student engaged in out-programme teaching practice outside the college campus.

The student was rushed to the Baptist Medical Centre in Nalerigu and later referred to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, where he was treated and discharged.

Less than a month later, on March 12, 2025, at around 11 p.m., another group of final-year students, returning from watching a football match in the community, was ambushed by two gunmen.

The attackers opened fire on eight students, killing one and leaving another with serious gunshot wounds. The injured student is currently in stable condition and receiving treatment at the Baptist Medical Centre.

The Principal of the college, Kassim Korah Nantomah, described the attacks as deeply concerning, warning that such incidents could damage the school’s reputation. “If such incidents are regularly recorded, it will definitely push away potential students,” he said.

No Shutdown of College

Prof. Jinapor welcomed the deployment of 24-hour security and assured students that the situation did not warrant a shutdown of the college. He urged students to remain calm while security agencies worked to restore safety.

He also cautioned that negative publicity could affect the college’s growth, saying, “When the institution is always in the public domain for bad reasons, nobody would want to enrol their ward, which is likely to make the institution’s survival very difficult.”

Ensuring Security and Support

While advising students to be security-conscious and avoid actions that could put them at risk, he called on community members, college management, and students to safeguard the school’s reputation.

Prof. Jinapor further announced that GTEC, in collaboration with the college’s management, would cover the medical expenses of the injured student and support the family of the deceased for a befitting burial.