Four students of Accra Academy Senior High School were on Monday arraigned before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly assaulting their junior colleagues in form one.
A viral video circulating on social media showed one of the victims being assaulted with a machete.
Among the four accused, only Richard Ninson, 21, is an adult. However, he was not present in court. Ninson was charged with two counts of abetment of crime to wit assault.
The other three, aged between 15 and 17, are minors and their names have been withheld. They appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to charges of threat of harm, abetment of crime, and assault.
Presiding Judge Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Basit granted bail to the three minors, allowing them to remain in the custody of their relatives – father, uncle, and aunt – who stood as sureties under the Juvenile Justice Act.
Each minor was granted bail of GH₵10,000 to enable them to prepare for their upcoming examinations.
Meanwhile, the court ordered the prosecution to file its disclosures and witness statements for the Case Management Conference. The case has been adjourned to April 14, 2025.
Prosecuting, Inspector Esther Mensah, led by Chief Inspector Portia Nuarko, informed the court that the complainant is a 34-year-old tutor at Accra Academy SHS and resides at Ablekuma New Town.
The accused persons, all day students, reside in Mamprobi and Shukura in Accra.
According to the prosecution, on January 1, 2025, the school authorities intercepted a video circulating on social media, suggesting that the four students had assaulted some form one students on the school compound using a machete.
The complainant, along with the aunt of one of the minors, took him to the police for questioning.
His caution statement was taken, and he was released on bail while investigations continued.
Investigations revealed that on January 17, 2025, the victims (form one students) went to the school park to pray when the four accused persons approached them.
The accused allegedly ordered the victims to kneel and instructed one of them, who was holding a phone, to delete all its contents and hand it over. The victim was further asked to pay GH₵500 to retrieve his phone.
Additionally, all the other victims were asked to contribute GH₵10 each, which they did.
The prosecution stated that one of the accused persons hit the victim’s chest and assaulted him with a machete while another recorded the incident. The accused then allegedly threatened the victims not to disclose their ordeal to anyone or risk further harm.
