Students test their juju powers

Untold story of the stabbing incident at Kumasi High School

THE incident at Kumasi High School in which a second- year student stabbed three others that were linked to Al Queda and Taliban groups, is alleged to be the result of testing of “cutlass juju” on the part of the students. Speaking to The Chronicle last week, Mr. Samuel Oduro (Odenken), the spokesperson for SSS Boys of the school, told the paper that there were certain issues, which the school authorities did not lay bare to the general public that exposed the school to public ridicule.

According to Oduro, investigations conducted by the old boys revealed that those students went in for concoction elsewhere, which was believed to be containing cutlass juju power that could make them “cutlass proof.”

So one morning, he said, these students decided to test the potency of their juju by slashing cutlass on each other. And in the process one of them overpowered the rest inflicting several wounds on them.

“The incident was rather unfortunate which needs to be clearly condemned under no certainty but what we are saying is that certain things had occurred elsewhere. However, comments from the media and the general public were too much and we think that certain things were not laid bare to the general public. There are no groups like Al Queda and Taliban Forces on Kumasi High campus,” the young graduate charged.

He observed that the general public was made to believe that those students involved belonged to a particular religious sect, saying “It was a composition of individuals who belong to diverse religion Oduro also criticized the Vice Chancellor of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; Professor Kwesi Andam, for his comment that students from Kumasi High School would be subjected to critical scrutiny before they are admitted into the university.

He described the Vice Chancellor's comment as “hasty generalization” that posed a serious threat to students in their academic future, both at home and abroad.

He said the school could not be tagged as one of the undisciplined schools in the country because it has produced prominent personalities in all spheres of live, citing Mr. Kwadwo Baah- Wiredu, Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, as one of the old boys.

“We are highly disappointed at the comment made by Prof. Andam because if the university scrutinizes students during admission fine. Why Kumasi High was singled out? Because there had been instances where some students from other schools indulged in criminal activities such as armed robbery, breaking into police amoury and countless rape cases, among others. What did he say about these issues?”

There was a media report last month that a second-year student of Kumasi High School whose name was withheld for security reason inflicted cutlass wounds on three other students, Mubarak Mohammed, Nurudeen Seidu and one Michael, that led to the closure of the school by the educational authorities.

Seven students have been dismissed following the incident.