The physical attack and indefinite suspension of third-year Labone Senior High School student Abraham Sambou have prompted a request for the Ghana Education Service (GES) to carry out a thorough investigation.

Mrs. Raissa Ebu reported the incident—which happened on June 18—when the House Master, Mr. Eric Agyemang, commonly known as Power, reportedly slapped Mr. Sambou in a letter dated June 21 to the GES. This occurred following Mr. Sambou’s unfounded accusation of using a cell phone and refused to give it up by school prefect Blessing Nyamekye.

“In addition to the assault, Master Sambou was prevented from attending classes on the same day and was kept in the senior house master’s without food nor water until after 2 PM, when we arrived to meet with the school’s management.”

“Following this, Master Sambou has been indefinitely expelled from the boarding house despite his denial of the false allegations. Master Sambou maintains that he does not use a phone at school; he was merely defending himself against the prefect’s harassment and false accusation,” she stated.

According to Mrs. Ebu, the whole family is having a lot of problems as a result of this unwarranted, unauthorized removal without following the proper procedures. This is a result of the daily commute that Master Sambou would now need to make from Kasoa in the Central Region to Labone, Accra.

“The family is deeply concerned about the mistreatment of our ward Master Sambou and the conduct of the school authorities, particularly Mr Agyemang, who has admitted to slapping the vulnerable final year student- a student who needs all the psychological help he can get as the WASSCE approaches.”

“Mr Agyemang justified his actions by claiming Master Sambou lied about his father’s availability when asked to provide his father’s phone number. Later, it was confirmed that Master Sambou’s father was indeed unavailable as the call was eventually answered by the boy’s mother,” she further said.

Mrs. Ebu further stated that Mrs. Rejoice Acorlor, the school’s headmistress, publicly endorsed Mr. Agyemang’s behavior during their visit to the school to talk about the matter. She claimed that if she had given the youngster a slap and struck him with her shoes, she would have behaved much more violently.

“She also mentioned that if the incident had occurred before the registration for the WASSCE, she would have ensured Master Sambou was not registered for the exam,” she added.

Mrs. Ebu emphasized that the headmistress’s arrogant behavior raises severe questions regarding the management of the school and the caliber of instruction.

“The wrongful actions against Abraham Sambou have caused significant distress and disruption to his education, particularly as he prepares for his final examination. Following the assault, Master Abraham Sambou has been experiencing severe headaches and pain in his left ear and left eye, necessitating treatment at the Amanfro Polyclinic on Wednesday 19th June 2024.

“As of the time of writing this petition, Mr Eric Agyemang has a photograph of himself on his WhatsApp Display Picture (contact number 0244382506) in which he is seen purportedly [displaying] a gun.”

“It is imperative that Master Abraham Sambou is given a fair hearing as required by natural law so that he can continue his studies without undue physical and psychological trauma,” she stated.