15 year old may be arson suspect

A 15-year-old student of Accra Academy has been identified as the mastermind behind the recurring fire incidents recorded in the school.

The suspect confessed his deeds to a committee set up by the school’s management to investigate the incidents. He was handed over to Odorkor Divisional police last Tuesday, but has been granted bail pending the commencement of prosecution.

Even before the Odorkor Divisional Police Command and the Ghana National Fire Service could conclude their investigations, the school pointed to the second-year student as a key suspect.
The boy confessed his actions to the committee, and subsequently to the police.

He said his actions were borne out of his dislike for the school, as he had been enrolled against his wish. But the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, DSP Effia Tenge, told reporters that due to the age of the suspect, the case docket is being forwarded to the Attorney General for study and advice.

On January 15, 2020, part of Accra Academy was gutted by fire. The inferno, which started at about 8:00 pm, destroyed the personal belongings of some students before the intervention of firefighters.
No casualties were recorded as students were observing prep at the time of the fire. Two weeks later, the school recorded another fire incident. This time around, a dormitory at the school, Alema Hall, which had portions burnt in the previous inferno was completely destroyed.

The Ghana National Fire Service after its investigations blamed the cause of both fire incidents on an electrical fault. The latest was on June 23, 2021. That fire ravaged four dormitories of the school, leading to the loss of belongings of over 80 students.

In a frantic effort to get to the bottom of the recurring fire incidents, the management of the school set up a committee to investigate the matter.