Six Ghanaian government-sponsored master's students at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom have accused officials at the Ghana High Commission in London of verbally abusing and physically assaulting one of their colleagues during a protest over unpaid scholarship funds.

The students staged a peaceful demonstration outside the High Commission on Monday, claiming they have gone more than 18 months without receiving tuition payments and living stipends promised by the Government of Ghana.

According to the group, they are owed a combined £238,852 in tuition fees and stipend arrears, a situation they say has prevented them from graduating despite completing their academic programmes.

Speaking to Citi FM, the group's convener, Noah Krah, alleged that officials failed to engage with the protesters despite their presence outside the mission for several hours.

“In four hours, not a single official of the Ghana High Commission came outside to speak with us. There was no acknowledgement, no engagement, and no response of any kind through any formal channel,” he said. Mr Krah further claimed that two students later entered the High Commission and were met with hostility.

“They started verbal abuse on my colleagues, saying ‘kwasiafo’ and using words like useless people, and Bridget Bonney even said we don’t deserve taxpayers’ money,” he alleged.

According to Mr Krah, the situation escalated when one of the students, Abena Fosuah, attempted to record the exchange.

“My colleague, Abena Fosuah, decided to pull out her phone to record the incident. So Bridget Bonney and other members, whose identities we have yet to establish, forcibly took Abena Fosuah’s phone and deleted all her recordings, including interviews she took for her academic work,” he claimed.

He also disclosed that a formal complaint had been submitted to the Head of Education and Recruitment at the High Commission.

“I sent an update of the protest and the resulting incident of assault to the Head of Education and Recruitment at the Ghana High Commission. As of now, I’m speaking with you, they have not reverted,” he stated.

Mr Krah said the students are demanding an investigation into the alleged incident, immediate payment of the outstanding scholarship funds and a formal apology from those involved.

He added that medical personnel confirmed the affected student had sustained soft tissue injuries that could take up to two weeks to heal.

“The victim has been given some prescriptions and also been advised to report the matter to the Police, Citizen Advice and the Ombudsman,” he said.

He added that an X-ray examination had been conducted and mental health support arranged because the student remains traumatised by the incident.