The issue of students possessing guns or other weapons on school campuses has raised serious concerns among stakeholders in the education sector.
Recent media reports of violent clashes in high schools have featured students wielding weapons such as guns, machetes, and other dangerous devices they could use to potentially harm themselves, other students, or staff.
On many occasions, the students who were arrested have actually discharged the weapons while in some instances, they have brandished them to threaten other students or whoever they sought to target.
The growing trend has raised concerns among authorities and stakeholders, underscoring the growing trend of indiscipline in schools.
Most of these incidents, which reportedly occurred in 2025, have sparked conversations about how students are able to get access to firearms and why they were not detected by their guardians, parents, or even school authorities.
The rising rate of indiscipline in schools, despite the ongoing efforts by school authorities to address the issue, have left many asking the question that – are the measures rolled out by school authorities effective, and are punitive actions stringent enough to deters others from repeating same behavior?
This GhanaWeb listicle chronicles the number of times cases of students possessing guns have been recorded in the first half of 2025.
Adventist SHS incident
A second-year student of the Adventist Senior High School at Bantama in the Ashanti Region, Suzy Adwoa Pinamang, suffered a terrible ordeal during school hours on April 4, 2025, when her fellow student allegedly shot her in the face injuring her eyes in the process.
According to the Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service, the 16-year-old student who shot at Suzy Pinamang brought his father’s loaded pistol to school to showcase it to his classmates.
While they were examining the weapon, it accidentally discharged, striking one of the students and causing injuries to her eyes. The police further noted that the firearm was taken without parental consent.
Narrating the incident in an interview on De God Son TV on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the victim, Suzy, said she did not pay attention to her friend when he was holding the gun.
“My classmate was holding the gun in class, but I didn’t pay attention to it. During break time, I had put my head on my desk. He was then having a conversation with other classmates.
“I briefly raised the head and then the gun went off. I was bleeding profusely at the time, so, I covered my face with my hands and dashed out to seek help,” she narrated.
The case is currently in court.
Salaga SHS incident
In February 2025, a locally manufactured pistol was found and confiscated from one of the 20 students arrested for engaging in a violent clash at Salaga Senior High School, which was handled by the Salaga Divisional Police Command.
The clash, as reported by dailyguidenetwork, resulted in the injury of one student.
Osei Kyeretwie SHS incident
A 16-year-old SHS Two student of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School (OKESS) was arrested for possessing a firearm without lawful authority during a routine dormitory search on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at approximately 9:30 a.m.
During interrogations, the student stated that the gun belonged to his stepfather, who was also arrested by the Tafo Pankrono Divisional Police Command.
He has been granted police enquiry bail along with his stepfather, Daniel Owusu Baafi.
MAG/VPO
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