West Africa: Police Fire Gunshots, Arrest Students During Nursing College Welfare Protest

A protest by trainees of the Techiman Krobo Nursing and Midwifery Training College turned violent on July 27, 2026, after officers of the Ghana Police Service fired gunshots while attempting to disperse them.

The students were protesting what they describe as worsening welfare and academic conditions at the college. Their grievances include poor feeding arrangements, unsanitary living conditions, and the college management's failure to supply items they have already paid for.

The students also allege that the college's principal, Mrs. Helen Gifty Dwamena Amoah, has physically assaulted, verbally abused, and intimidated students who raise these concerns, and are demanding her removal or transfer. They boycotted classes and marched through the streets of Techiman to submit a petition to the Techiman North District Directorate of Education demanding her removal.

The protest escalated into a confrontation with police, who were seen in viral videos firing warning shots while chasing the students in the street of Techiman and arrested three of them. The college's Student Representative Council President, Muntari Fatawu, confirmed to MFWA that all three arrested students were released the same day they were arrested, and that other students injured in the confrontation are recovering.

In a statement issued on July 28, 2026, and signed by its President, Rashid Ibrahim, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) condemned the action of the police. "NUGS strongly condemns the reported assault on these students. The use of force against unarmed students who were peacefully expressing their concerns is unacceptable and has no place in a democratic society."

Ghana's 1992 Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to peaceful assembly and demonstration. The MFWA, therefore, condemns the use of gunshots and arrests by police to disperse a student protest over welfare grievances. These incidents undermine the democratic principles of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly that the commemoration is to uphold. The MFWA, therefore, calls on the Ghana Police Service to conduct a prompt, independent, and transparent investigation into the firing of gunshots at a students' protest and ensure that any officer involved is held accountable.

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