Students of Okuapeman Senior High School and Mount Sinai Senior High School in the Akuapem North Municipality of the Eastern Region have been asked to leave their campuses following violent clashes that left six Okuapeman students injured and several school facilities destroyed by fire.
The disturbances occurred at about 2:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at Akropong, with students from the two schools reportedly involved in reprisal attacks.
The exact cause of the confrontation has not yet been established, as security agencies investigate the incident.
At Okuapeman SHS, the Visual Arts studio, a teachers’ office and seven classrooms were reportedly burnt. Examination papers and certificates kept in some of the affected facilities were also destroyed.
A storeroom and the boys’ washroom at Mount Sinai SHS were also damaged by fire. Reports further indicate that furniture and other school property were destroyed during the violence.
The Headmaster of Okuapeman SHS, Rev. Richard Koranteng Afari, said six students sustained injuries during the incident.
Four of them had been treated and discharged, while two remained on admission as of Wednesday.
There were also reports that a police officer was injured after security personnel deployed to restore order came under attack. The Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Joseph Owusu Bempah, expressed concern about the reported attacks on officers.
The Eastern Regional Security Council (REGSEC), led by Regional Minister Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, visited both campuses to assess the extent of the damage and engage school authorities and security personnel.
Following the assessment, students were directed to leave the campuses to prevent further confrontation and allow the situation to stabilise.
Reports from the regional authorities initially described the action as a temporary closure. However, the Regional Minister later clarified that the schools had not been formally closed, saying students were being sent home as a precautionary measure. A formal closure of the schools would require the involvement of the Education Ministry.
Students of Mount Sinai were instructed to leave campus by 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, while Okuapeman students were expected to leave on the morning of Thursday, September 3.
Security personnel have been deployed around the two institutions to maintain calm while investigations continue.
Mrs Awatey condemned the violence and said authorities would pursue those responsible for the destruction.
“We are building a nation, we are not destroying a nation. We are resetting and that includes resetting you.”
She said students who participated in the attacks would not be allowed to escape accountability, adding that investigations were underway to establish what happened and identify those who started the violence.
The authorities have yet to announce when normal academic activities will resume at the two schools, with the immediate priority being to restore calm, secure the campuses and establish the circumstances that triggered the clash.