The Sunyani Technical University (STU) is raising concerns over student safety after years of violent confrontations with armed land guards who continue to invade portions of the school’s property.

According to the Auditor-General’s Report, the university has already lost 35 acres of its 163-acre land to encroachers.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah traced the crisis to a compensation claim filed more than a decade ago — a claim he says set off years of litigation, confrontations and insecurity on campus.

“At a point, I think around 2014, a woman claiming to be a member of the family that used to own the land before government invested it into ASALF wrote to the university that they need compensation. So we responded and forwarded the letter to the Minister of Education and the Finance and informed them that we have sent their request to the minister.”

But events escalated far more quickly than the university anticipated.

“Then, just about two weeks later, we saw summons, court summons. And we made our solicitors respond it, and we went to court. So as the case was pending in court, before we realised, people had started building.”

Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah said the university initially moved to safeguard the property.

“When it started, the university mobilised. We went in and demolished over 30 structures on the land. Then later, when we did the demolition, they came back and took us again to court. That time they filed about 10 cases. So we have 11 cases pending before the courts.”

However, what began as a legal dispute soon turned into a physical confrontation, with encroachers returning — this time armed.

“They were building again. And this time around, they were actually wielding cutlasses, and other implements. Making it difficult for the university staff to actually prevent them from continuing. We went to council, council approved that we should go and put a very big sign board.

We put a signboard there, they took it away. Anything you put there, they take it away. And then in the daytime, if you attempt, you see people chasing. Even when students go there to do survey work, they chase them out,”he said

Chairperson of PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, said the matter now hinges on establishing whether the government fulfilled its compensation obligations to the affected family.

“I believe with this one it is the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources that will help you because payment of compensation emanates from the Ministry of Land and Forestry. Then it goes to cabinet. Cabinet gives approval. It comes to the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Finance makes the payments.

So, one, maybe we should find out whether truly compensation was paid and how the whole thing was taken from the family in the first place; that is what we should do if we haven't done that already”

She added that “But if we have done that already and we know the truth as to whether they were paid or they were not paid, then we take steps to make sure we give them the compensation if they were not paid, and then if they were paid, we also show proof.”

Prof. Adinkrah-Appiah emphasised that no dispute over land ownership should ever be allowed to threaten students.

“Students go for surveying and they are chased out and we have lost in this country. Even if — even if or assuming without admitting — that those who are encroaching the land have the proper title to the land, you don’t go chasing people or students with machete and all these weapons.”

He urged security agencies to step in immediately.

“I think that the Bono Regional Security Council, I’m sure they are listening, they should take this matter up as a matter of urgency and address it. It is a national security matter. So, Mr. Chair, if you can give a direction in that regard, I believe it will be helpful.”