We publish below a protest note from the Ghana Association of University Teachers Legon, in connection with Police action on the University campus during the recent demonstrations by students. We members of the Ghana Association of University Teachers (GAUT) wish to bring to the notice of the general public certain aspects of the action of the police on January 13th, 1978, and -on subsequent days.

As on previous occasions, the police came to the campus apparently provoked by a student demonstration, and in total disregard of established procedures, proceeded to beat up literally everybody in sight. Again as on previous occasions the police had massed up provocatively in front of the university gates well in advance of any action of the students. Indeed this latest raid follows a consistent pattern of police intervention on campus surpassing previous raids only in the degree of brutality and the wantonness of destruction of public and private property. In the orgy of violence that attended the raid, in which armed police led by armoured cars, broke into students and lecturers rooms and other buildings on the campus indiscriminately throwing tear-gas, they beat up students, lecturers, workers and even visitors to the campus.

In Volta Hall and the female section of Mensah Sarbah Hall, female students were stripped stark naked, drilled, beaten and taken to the police station.

We note that once more by these activities the police completely disrupted normal academic functions at the university to the detriment of the national interest. The punitive nature and the sheer wantonness of the police violence has completely destroyed morale on campus and has left a sense of insecurity in the minds of students, workers and lecturers alike.

We do hereby unreservedly condemn the action of the police and call on the government to give credence to its public commitment to free public discussion of national issues by:-

(i) publicly reaffirming the established convention that there will be no police action on the campus without invitation from the university authorities.

(ii) instituting forthwith an independent and public enquiry with a view to ascertaining circumstances surrounding the intervention and establishing responsibility for the conduct of the police.

(iii) making reparation for injuries and loss of property.

We wish to emphasise that if prompt action is not taken to meet these demands, it may become impossible for us to continue to carry out our normal duties.

(Sgd.) J.M. Hyde, 

(Chairman).

More Protest Notes

• Protest Note: University Of Cape Coast – 1977
• Notice Of Boycott Of Lectures – 1977