Ghana university closed after violent protests

Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has been shut after student protests at the institution turned violent.

The demonstrations erupted after 11 students were arrested at an end-of-week “jamboree”, a regular student party that had recently been banned by the university.

Students described the institution’s response as “heavy-handed” and accused the university’s security and management of brutality, the BBC reported.

Demonstrations against the arrests turned violent, with students boycotting lectures, mounting roadblocks and vandalising property.

Students were told to leave the campus, although international students have reportedly been given a protected space at the institution. The local Ashanti Regional Security Council has ordered the university to close down indefinitely.

anna.mckie@timeshighereducation.com