On Friday, April 4, 2025, a distressing incident occurred at the Seventh-Day Adventist Senior High School (SDA SHS) in Bantama, Kumasi. A 16-year-old second-year student brought a locally manufactured pistol loaded with BB ammunition to school. While attempting to show the firearm to classmates during a break, the weapon accidentally discharged, resulting in a female classmate sustaining serious gunshot wounds to the face and a male student who was also injured during the incident. Both injured students were initially rushed to Kwadaso Hospital; however, due to the severity of the female student’s condition, she was promptly transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, where she received treatment and is currently in stable condition.
The school’s headmistress, Grace Kafui Ayi, reported that the student had taken an exeat on March 18, 2025, to travel to Kronum, a suburb of Kumasi, but failed to return on the agreed date. Upon his return, he brought the firearm to school, leading to the unfortunate incident.
In response, the Ashanti Regional Police Command has initiated an investigation. The student involved has been detained, and his father has been invited for questioning to ascertain how the minor accessed the firearm.
This tragic event is reminiscent of a previous incident in 2017 at Achimota School in Accra, where a 17-year-old student accidentally shot and killed his female classmate using his father’s firearm. The case highlighted significant concerns about firearm access and safety among students.
These incidents underscore the urgent need for stricter controls on firearm access within educational institutions and comprehensive education on gun safety to prevent such tragedies in the future and to ensure the safety of students within educational institutions.
