All the final year students of the Northern School of Business (NOBISCO) in Tamale, have been dismissed for rioting and threatening to burn down the school.

Alhasan Salifu, Headmaster of the school said the students who were protesting against the punishment meted out to their colleagues, attacked the residence of the Senior House Master and the House Mistress last Saturday night.

Mr Salifu said though the school authorities escaped unhurt; the rampaging students broke louvers, disconnected security lights and telephone lines. The trouble started about ten days ago when two final year female students were punished by the school's disciplinary committee for assaulting a second year female student for refusing to attend to their call.

Mr Salifu said the students were suspended when they refused to do the punishment and after an attempt by a group of final year students to prevail upon the committee to rescind its decision had failed, the prefects among them announced their resignation and mobilised the final year students to attack some tutors' bungalows.

Tension began to mount when anonymous messages threatening to attack members of the disciplinary committee and to burn down the school were pasted on walls and structures at the campus, prompting the school authorities to invite the police to restore law and order.

The School's Board of Governors at an emergency meeting on Monday decided to expel the final year students, but they ignored the directive and instead organised themselves into stone hurling gangs, directing their efforts at the Headmaster and other workers, who had gathered at the Administration Block.

He said one student was arrested while the others took to their heels when a police reinforcement team arrived. The student, according to Mr Salifu was assisting the police in their investigations.