Commonwealth Hall is in the news again. This time, for murder! On Saturday, 9th December 2017,
myjoyonline.com and
ghanaweb.com
reported that two youths (a vandal and an associate vandal), who
started a minor argument in the presence of mature old vandals, could
not be helped until it degenerated into a point, where one was cut to
death six times in the neck with a Khebab knife, after the deceased had
provoked his attacker with a slap. That is sad.
This latest news,
though sad, comes as no surprise, except the death, which has only
enriched the tall public profile of vandalism of students admitted into
Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon, who are better
identified as VANDALS.
Their violent reputation until this
murder was limited to unprovoked attacks on students of other halls and
universities, attacks on Senior Members of the university management,
and a consistent violation of the Public Order Act, mostly leading to
disruptions of the university's lawful assembly, public obscenity and
destruction of public and private properties, and threatening the peace
of the university community and its environs.
For instance, much
recently, they were embroidered in clashes on University of Cape Coast
campus which saw some students sustaining multiple knife wounds, leading
to the suspension of 22 students of ATL (a decision which has since
been overturned by the Cape Coast High Court for lack of sufficient
evidence).
It will also be recalled that on 26th September,
2003, students of Commonwealth Hall ceased the residence of the then
Vice Chancellor, Prof Asenso Okyere and rampaged it.
This was
followed in March 2010 with an attack on the Chancellor of the
University, His Excellency Kofi Annan, during a graduation ceremony,
which brought international embarrassment and condemnation to the
university. At the time, Joy news reported that, “the students heckled
the former UN Secretary General, who is also Chancellor of the
University, and chanted songs in his face. He suffered this along with
his guests.” The list is inexhaustible.
Sadly, these clear
breaches of the law have consistently been carried out boldly, in broad
daylight and mostly in the presence of law enforcement officers without
sanctions. On few occasions when people are sanctioned to serve as
deterrent, there are always state institutions and persons of influence
who overturn these verdicts, emboldening the vandals stronger.
It
will be oversimplified to assume that these are some silly acts by
overzealous young men who have extra energy to spare. No. Not least. In
fact, vandalism in Commonwealth Hall is a well established and
resourced spiritual organization, fronted with students, but as its main
victims too, and has influences which extend to every facet of the
Ghanaian society where power is exercised because former students of the
hall are well placed in society.
For instance H. E .John
Dramani Mahama, former President of Ghana, Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief
of Staff, Justice Modibo Ocran of the Supreme Court, Nana Akuoko
Sarpong, Omanhene of Agogo Traditional Area and former Inspector General
of Police, Mr Peter Nanfuri, are all past members of the hall.
The story of vandalism has hardly been told from an honest and insider
point of view as this writer wishes to do. For the most part, what is
publicly known about Commonwealth hall of the University of Ghana are
distorted narratives either from enemies of the hall (who do not wish
the hall well) or worse, from fellows and friends of the hall who aim
for damage control of what the enemies of the hall have said. In the
process, the public is merely left with nothing but extreme views of
interested parties.
For instance, on Thursday, 10th October,
2002, the Ghana news agency carried a statement in which the old Vandals
had denied a claim by the then Dean of Students, Dr Vladimir Antwi
Danso, that
Commonwealth hall was practicing occultism.
In a
reaction, the National President of the Old VANDALS Association, Mr
Kwasi Essel Koomson, indicated: “The Association demanded an unqualified
apology from Dr Antwi-Danso to the Commonwealth Hall in particular, the
University of Ghana as an entity, and the nation in general for
creating an environment for unnecessary panic over his effusions which
are nothing less than a quixotic reaction to some phantasmagoric
hallucinations."
Unfortunately, as a former JCR president, I regret to say that the Dean of students was right.
The Hall and its corporate image must urgently be rescued from the
hands of a bunch of occult and evil worshipers, who have successfully
passed on their evil practices to successive generations for the last
four decades.
History has it that those who started the practice
of occultism in the hall are mainly prominent royals of some Akan
tribes who today, are respectable chiefs in this country.
Even in
their present exalted positions and with the benefit of hindsight, they
are still the key figures who initiate new members under the cover of
darkness into this practice and also give them their first fetish
haircut- 'Santo'.
This is done before the initiates of 15
members, known as 'outfit', have been abducted for some days to undergo
indoctrinations and rituals, and made to crawl throughout the university
in white calico, with the entire students of commonwealth hall
following them and chanting what sounds like a dirge. The ritual is
climaxed by a week's celebration known as 'minimpimim' and a grand
Durbar, where the new members are outdoored.
The 15 young
innocent teenagers and youths, whose parents assume are learning and
pursuing the moral values of their respective families, after
indoctrination are forced to swear an oath of allegiance to an evil
power, to ensure that Commonwealth students are spiritually enslaved to
live like hooligans and perverts by being initiated spiritually.
That explains why Commonwealth hall students are first matriculated and
congregated by the Chief Vandal and his fetish priest before allowing
the University to take its turn to do it officially.
It was this
struggle for power between the university management and the chief
Vandal (as to who has the power to matriculate first years)that led to
attacks on the Chancellor in 2010 as earlier alluded to.
During
these processes (matriculation and congregation), specific rituals and
sacrifices are offered to father Bacchus, an idol worshipped in the
hall, to commit the spirit of students into his care and to bless them.
Whereas the innocent students assume that these activities and their
auxiliary rituals such as the occasional purifications of the ponds in
the hall, baptising of all fresh students in these ponds and the lying
prostrate of students anytime a chief vandal is addressing them are mere
youthful exuberance, the casual observe will be able to observe a
trend: the adhering to specific time for this practices, use of
specific incantations, the involvement of respectable persons of our
society, the resources spent on it and its share power and influence of
people cannot be just for fanfare.
As a result, over the years,
brilliant young men, who are admitted into the hall, become hooligans
and social perverts characterized by bing drinking, womanizing , extreme
foolishness such as eating faeces to demonstrate ones foolishness
during 'PAWA NITE', profanity, nudity and sexual escapades.
These
are certainly the core traits of father Bacchus, the Greek god of
immorality whose statue is worshipped by students of the hall and
occasional sacrifices of food, drinks, and worship are offered to it
from the shrine of the CHIEF VANDAL, an exalted member of the 15young
men initiated.
The chief Vandal, enjoys more powers than does the traditional chiefs who established it in their paramountcy.
He is neither regulated by the laws of the university nor those of the
country (so it seems), and the university cannot sanction him. He
neither attends lectures nor university gatherings. He is always
indoors. He moves in great escort, no student must cross his path when
he is coming and neither must be heard even breathing when he is
talking. It is a punishable offense to challenge his edicts, and
everyone must lie flat on their belly while he is talking.
The
Chief Vandal has the power to declare boycotts and strikes and he names
university facilities and roads. He has a standing Militia who execute
violence at his command on anybody who threatens his power.
 |
| Prof. Ebenezer Owusu Oduro, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana |
Anybody who wants to contest any elective position on campus, including
student offices, university management positions and members of
parliament for the Ayawaso Wogon constituency(where the school is
located) must come and see him with drinks and money for his
'blessings'. Indeed, when presidential candidates come on campus, they
first seek his approval in his palace and at his behest, they proceed to
campaign to students.
I should also add that it is one of the
most corrupt and morally bankrupt organization you can have in the
world. The chief vandal trades his power for sex from female student
politicians, and only supports the highest bidder. They don't support
student interest. Unless it is convenient to do so. For them, it is who
has the money to pay.
This will explain why legitimately
elected student leaders are impeached and reprisals against university
administration are so rampantly spearheaded by the chief Vandal. It
should be understood that even though most of these agitations are
fronted with legitimate student concerns, in most instances, they are
self serving, initiated because persons in authority (student and
university management leadership) have failed to induce the chief vandal
with bribes and recognition.
That also explains why very
corrupt student leaders and university administration have had
successful tenures even though they were worse than Adam in their
perversions.
Unfortunately, it is these attitude and persons who
graduate to form the Old Vandals Association. At these levels, it is an
association of past students of the hall who were members of this cult
while in school.
Sadly, some are leading light of our society.
They use their positions to ensure that this occultic practice is
perpetuated on campus and to lobby for key positions in society for
their members after school.
On the first agenda, they work hard
to constantly ensure that whoever holds key position in the management
of the Hall or the university administration is somebody who thinks like
them.
With that, they are able to make leaders of the occult group comfortable and escape the law when they faulter.
That explains why even in the face of scarce student accommodation
regime, the outfit (leaders of the cult) has extra large rooms for a
shrine, palace (the dark room) and workers of the chief vandal.
It also explains why students of the Hall always get away with very
serious offences in the face of compelling evidence. Because the
university management was installed by the old vandals through lobbying
vandals in high places.
But in the unlikely event where
university authorities who are their own, fail to shield offending
VANDALS, they have prominent lawyers and even judges ready to favor them
as indicated supra. In fact, at the very extreme, there will be a
political figure, a journalist or a chief, whose connection can stop any
punishment against the offending student of the hall.
 |
| Benjamin Akyena Brantuo |
So in the
context of the above narrative, it is reported as indicated above that a
vandal has been stabbed to death in the presence of OLD VANDALS, who
claim all they could do was to become spectators to the fight of death
between two youth. Hmmmm.
While I stand with the family of the
bereave and Ghanaians in this moment of grieve, I dare say this death
should be the least that the public should worry about.
Instead,
Ghana should be concerned that the over four thousand young men who are
annually being admitted into the Commonwealth hall of the University of
Ghana for the last 50years are being initiated into occultism directly
and indirectly.
Even most troubling is the fact that these
practices, which started from the premier University, Legon, has now
infested every public University in Ghana and regrettably, most senior
high institutions are now also practicing Occultism.
Consequently, today's students are less competent. Rather, there is a
surge in immorality such as homosexuality, alcoholism, violence,
womanizing, vulgarism, plain stupidity, etc in our students. Even
worse, our universities have not only become ungovernable but den for
strange sicknesses, evil forces and deaths.
The resultant effect
of enslaving the educated minds of a country into Occultism and such
moral bankruptcy are that we should not expect morality and principled
lifestyle in any facet of our society.
If students mature with
these attitude, it will crush our politics and ruin families. It will
muddy our professional integrity and create enmity between a man and his
God.
In conclusion, I make the following proposals as a way out.
First, I propose the immediate disbandment of vandalism and such cultic
groups from our campuses. This has nothing to do with suppressing
academic freedoms. Vandalism is anti student activism and governance. It
has betrayed it time without number.
Instead, I recommend that
the Visitation Panel Report of 2007 led by Sir John Daniels (google it
to read) should be implemented fully, especially aspects which bother on
student Representation at every level of decision making.
Secondly, parents must immediately actively investigate the extent of the involvement of their wards and help them.
Thirdly, Spiritual exercise of Christians on campuses must be intensified.
Fourthly, persons found still practicing this evil worship on campus must be branded as anti Ghanaians and punished.
