Student Dies From ‘Ponding’?

The Kumasi Police have begun investigating the death of Daniel Awudji, aged 24, a second-year Physics student of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

Mr Awudji's body, which was found on the University's Administration Road on August 15, had bruises on the arms and wrists and blood was oozing from his ears. The body has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

Sources at the Regional Police Command revealed this to newsmen yesterday, but said that it was too early to tell whether Awudji was murdered.

Meanwhile Times investigations yesterday revealed that Awudji was “ponded” by some students in Katanga Hall of KNUST on suspicion that he was a thief. Some students, who claimed to have been eyewitnesses to the “ponding”, insisted that the perpetrators were students of the school and that their reason for ponding Awudji was that they believed he had stolen something from a room in the Hall.

They said that Awudji fell unconscious after he was ponded, but they did not suspect that the ponding could result in his death. Speaking to the press yesterday, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Kwasi Andam, said, “it would be prudent to stop all speculation while the authorities continue their investigations into the matter.” He said, “it is a serious case and the University is determined to get to the bottom of it. The findings of the investigation will be made public.”

Meanwhile, representatives of the Katanga Hall Junior Common Room (JCR) have denied the allegation that Awudji died as a result of his ponding. According to the Public Relations Officer of the JCR committee, Mr Freebos Adjei Kwabena, the allegation was news to the residents of Katanga. He demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out to establish the real cause of Awudji's death.