Saboba drowning case adjourned to Dec 13

The Tamale District Court yesterday adjourned to December 13, the case in which the head teacher of St. Charles Lwanga Junior High School (JHS) in Saboba, in the North East Region, Emmanuel Chingya, has been accused of manslaughter.

Mr Chingya reportedly asked 31 students of the JHS to work on his farm on November 12, but while returning, the canoe by which they were crossing Oti River capsized, leading to the death of nine of them.

When the case was called, prosecution appealed to the court for more time to enable it to undertake further investigations into the matter. The presiding Judge, Mr Amadu Issifu, granted the request and adjourned the case.

Families of the nine JHS students, who drowned, have asked that Mr Chingya be pardoned, after the Ghana Education Service (GES) announced the interdiction of the head teacher.

GES in a letter, said the head teacher would remain interdicted until a final determination is made on the matter by the police.

The Northern Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent (Supt) Baba B Ananga, had told the Ghanaian Times that the police were “working on how to stabilise the traumatised head teacher,” before taking him for court.

Supt. Ananga indicated that the head teacher was still traumatised over the incident and other related issues.

The crime officer said that the police would commence investigation into the case, “immediately he is stabilised.”

Supt. Ananga said the bodies had been deposited at the Saboba Government Hospital morgue.

The whole community was thrown into shock and agony as residents grieved and wailed over the accident.