Teachers in Asiakwa in the Eastern region are seeking to be transferred from the community following the murder of their colleague.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Tuesday, a teacher said despite police assurance of security, they are too traumatised to continue teaching in the community.

“Psychologically we are not ok,” he said

Schools in Asiakwa remain temporarily closed following the murder of George Somuah Bosompem; a teacher of the Salvation Army Basic School.

He was murdered following a dispute over snails.  

Speaking to Joy News’ Maxwell Kudekor from the residence of the widow, a teacher -who wants to remain anonymous- said the attack on the Religious and Moral Education teacher, was a revenge attack.

According to him, the school has a snail farm which was encroached on by some youth in the community.

Upon police complaints, arrests were made but instead of prosecutions some opinion leaders intervened and the suspects were made to pay for the cost of the snails stolen from the farm.

Angered by the arrests and forced payments, the youth vowed to revenge and while assaulting the late teacher, the perpetrators reminded him that they were exacting their pound of flesh.

Meanwhile, the six accused persons are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

Five of them were put before the Kyebi District Magistrate Court and were remanded into police custody to reappear on May 14.

The five are facing provisional charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder. They are Richard Amaning, 18; Mireku Emmanuel, 17; Philip Okodie, 17; Paul Boadu, 18, and Ezekiel Boadu, 19.

A sixth suspect, Aboagye Evans was picked up from his hideout last Friday.

Following the development, teachers in the community have abandoned post.

They claimed they feel physically and psychologically unsafe to continue teaching in the community.

Those who attacked their colleague still live in the community. The security provided them is restricted to teaching hours. It does not extend to their homes. 

Psychologically they argued that their assailants still have family members in the school. Teaching students whose relatives have murdered our colleague will be psychologically draining. He told Joy News.  

That is not all.

The teachers maintained that the school has been taken over by irate youth who uses the school compound for nefarious activities such as smoking weed, open defecation and illicit sex.   

In fact, he alleged they share the school facilities with the hooligans who sometimes force them to close before the stipulated time.