Edward Borketey Sackey, an 18-year-old final-year student of O'Reilly Senior High School in Accra, was stabbed to death following a dispute with a colleague at the school.

What happened

According to reports, Edward, a General Arts student, had a physical altercation with one Godwin, a Visual Arts student, over whose father was wealthier.

The argument is said to have escalated into a fight, during which Edward was stabbed multiple times.

In an attempt to save Edward's life, a group of students quickly left the school to find a taxi to take him to the hospital. However, he passed away shortly after arriving at the LEKMA Hospital.

The stabbing incident reportedly occurred after they had finished writing an exam as part of their West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Allegations of teacher negligence and unconcern

An alleged cousin of the late Edward, while speaking in an interview with TV3, disclosed that during the physical altercation between the two students, teachers were present but did not intervene.

She alleged that Edward reported the incident to a teacher, but they “did not do anything.”

“When the chaos started, my brother ran to the teachers who were sitting under the tree on the school compound. I was calling the guy to stop, but they didn’t mind me, so I decided to go to my uncle, who has a shop outside the school, to report what was happening since the teachers were not doing anything. The guy is not someone to joke with; when he comes to school, he has a small bag containing harmful substances like a knife,” she said.

She claimed that even after the stabbing, the teachers were unconcerned about the victim's condition, and it only took the assistance of students to help transport the victim to LEKMA Hospital.

“No teacher followed us. I went to the hospital alone, and his father came around. It was one man passing by who helped me. It took about twenty to thirty minutes to take him to the hospital. When my uncle arrived, they told him Edward was gone because he was stabbed in the chest,” she stated.

Father demands justice

The father of Edward Borketey is seeking answers from school officials regarding the circumstances surrounding his son's death while under their supervision.

During an interview with Accra-based TV3 on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, he shared the sequence of events that led to his son's tragic passing. He expressed disappointment that the school authorities did not intervene before the situation escalated into a violent altercation resulting in his son's death.

He recounted receiving a call from his niece reporting that Edward and his classmate were involved in a fight, but teachers appeared indifferent to the situation.

"On my way to the school, when I got to the motorway, I received a call that the boy who was fighting Edward had stabbed him. He was lying down at the school premises, bleeding, and the teachers were sitting there unconcerned. So, I said, wow, I am coming,” he recalled.

He continued, "From yesterday till now, the police have not called, and the school authorities have not called. Even the boy who killed my son, none of the family have reached me. That is why we are here, to seek justice for my son. We want answers from the school authorities, the police, and the boy about what happened.

"I just want to know what happened to the extent of a student stabbing his friend. That is all we want; we want justice. The school authorities should explain to us if the teachers were there when it happened. We want answers from the school authorities.”

The father expressed frustration that neither the police nor the school authorities had contacted him since the incident and accused the school authorities of restricting access to the premises by deploying police officers.

"They have put policemen here. They are not allowing anyone to go in, and nobody is prepared to come and talk to us. That is why we are here. It is sad; we are all here waiting for the school authorities,” he stated.

Police arrest

Meanwhile, the Police have arrested Godwin to assist in investigations following the stabbing incident.

Director of education reacts

The Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Stephen Abamfo, confirmed the arrest of the attacker, Godwin, a final-year Visual Arts student.

He said his office has commenced a full-scale investigation into the matter and will brief the public on what transpired later.

“The student has been stabbed, and afterward, we realized the person passed on. We sent a delegation to the school yesterday to find out what actually happened. We are conducting an investigation, and the case is with the police. I have also gathered some information to brief my Director-General on what happened. The attacker is in the hands of the police,” he said in an interview with Citi News.

TWI NEWS

AM/KA

Watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below: