Police officers at Kissy and pupils of the Muslim Congress School clashed over the weekend leading to injuries and the burning of a police vehicle and post and also the vandalization of the school.
Awoko visited the scene of the incidence. First at the Muslim Congress School where the vice principal for the afternoon section, George S. Ndobo, was met.
He explained that the dispute emanated over a land between the school and an individual. “Some people alleged that they were owners of a land which is owned by the school. We have gone to court and an injunction was passed that nobody should construct on the land until the court decides. What I was made to understand on Friday was that some body was digging in order to construct and the pupils went there to remove the beacon and then went into their classrooms. I think a report was made to the police and when they came they arrested a teacher who was the day master, Pastor Fofana, and took him away. The pupils later learnt of what had happened and they came out only to be met by police officers and started the uproar,” Mr Ndobo said.
He alleged that the police vandalized the bursar’s office, the school’s library which had about 25 computers, the principal’s office and the mosque.
The land dispute, he said, had taken so many years and according to the school’s documents, they had 45 acres of land of which 38 were encroached upon living seven.
“Even the remaining seven they are encroaching on. What they do is they will come on Saturday evening when school is not in session and on Sunday to construct and when we come on Monday we see a structure,” he stated.
The police post at the Approved School was alleged to have been totally damaged by the pupils. The crimes officer at the Kissy Police, ASP Ernest Yorpie, denied allegations that police officers vandalized the school.
He said the police were not allowed in the school’s compound but were cut short on the way when the police vehicle was burnt and the officers stoned away.
Explaining what caused the fracas the officer said, “one Morlai Bangura alleged he had a land closer to Congress and was about leveling the land when a teacher from the school and another person asked him what he was doing on the land. He said the complainant answered he was working on his land only to later see pupils pounced on him and stoning randomly”.
ASP Yorpie said the police went there “to quell down the situation as the pupils had gone haywire but we were not allowed.”
He said seven officers were injured with three receiving emergency treatment.
The police vehicle, according to the Inspector General of Police, is worth 30,000 British Pounds which was donated to them by the British government.
About 45 suspects were arrested and detained at the Kissy Police Station waiting to be charged to court.