A 19-year-old final-year student of Peki Senior High School in the Volta Region has died after an alleged confrontation with a fellow student over a schoolbag in the school’s dormitory.
The deceased, identified as Joseph Tsetsekple, reportedly lost consciousness during the incident after allegedly being pushed against a wall by the colleague.
He was subsequently rushed to the Peki Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to a report by Adom News on November 3, the incident followed a disagreement after Joseph placed his schoolbag on another student’s bed.
The colleague reportedly instructed him to remove the bag, but when Joseph attempted to retrieve it, the student allegedly threw it away.
This reportedly led to an argument, with Joseph questioning why his bag had been thrown instead of being returned to his bed.
The disagreement subsequently escalated, during which the colleague allegedly pushed him forcefully against a wall, causing him to collapse.
Reports indicate that Joseph remained unconscious for several hours before being taken to the hospital.
The student allegedly involved in the incident, whose identity has not been disclosed, has since been arrested and is in police custody to assist with investigations.
Joseph’s father, Gabriel Tsetsekple, recounted to Adom News that he had spoken with his son and his twin sister earlier that day after they contacted him to request money.
He said he transferred the money and later attempted to reach them to confirm receipt but could not get through.
He subsequently received a call from a teacher who asked whether he was Joseph’s father before informing him that his son had lost consciousness and had been taken to the hospital.
Gabriel said he immediately set off from Nkachina in the Kpandai District of the Northern Region to the school.
However, while travelling, he received another call from the school’s headmistress, who informed him that Joseph had died after reportedly failing to respond to treatment.
The Volta Regional Director of Education, Marian Jemima Akua, also confirmed the incident to Adom News and expressed sympathy to the bereaved family.
She attributed the tragedy to the consequences of uncontrolled emotions and urged parents and guardians to teach their children anger management and peaceful conflict resolution.
She further encouraged students to bring disagreements to the attention of school authorities before they escalate, while calling on schools to improve supervision and emergency-response arrangements to help prevent similar incidents.
