The old students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have denied any involvement in a protest that occurred at the school on Monday.

The students in protest of what they described as “oppression from school authorities,” destroyed school property and set fire to the Dean’s vehicle.

As many as 30 cars, Joy News has learnt, were destroyed in the protest that has led to the indefinite closure of the school.

Shattered glass doors at the university’s administration block 

Every student is expected to vacate the university’s premises by midday on Tuesday, October 23. Only international students will remain and security will be provided for them.

A team of heavily armed police and military personnel has also been deployed to the school as a 6 PM to 6 AM curfew begins to take effect.

Following the disruptions, Registrar of the University Andrew Kwesi Boateng said the attacks were unsolicited and unprovoked and was masterminded by the alumni.

“Information available to KNUST indicates clearly that some alumni of the University Hall were the brain behind [the rampage], orchestrating and executing the acts of vandalism as they came in several buses to participate in today’s activity.”

But counsel for the alumni, George Tetteh Wayo, says the allegation is untrue and that the actions of the students were impulsive.

“It was spontaneous and as humans, we do not have control over spontaneity. The SRC was leading and they were in charge.”

In a response to a question about whether some of the alumni were bused to the university campus to instigate the acts, he said “Most of the alumni are in Accra. Those in Kumasi had gone to work. It is the same first years who are demonstrating against them, no alumni is there.”

Wayo, who is also an Executive of the Alumni Association and a member of the Alumni Group, is certain that the students are only venting their anger at being oppressed for so long by the new administration.

“It was ordained for it to happen for Prof Obiri Danso to know that he cannot come and change the entire historical nature of KNUST.

“The students are tired…The entire six halls. Whatever happened is to react directly to Obiri Danso’s administration of KNUST,” he added.