Ghana may face sanction over killing of Nigerian Student

There is a high tendency that Ghana, a fellow ECOWAS country with Nigeria may face sanction from ECOWAS court over the recent killing of a Nigerian student, Godwin Chukwudi Ayogu, who  until his death, was seeking academic pursuit in one of Ghana’s educational institutions. The Deputy Consul-General to Nigeria, Mr. Isaac Joshua Essilifie, while speaking with Daily Newswatch in Ghanaian Mission, at Oba Akinjobi Crescent, in Ikeja area of Lagos State during a protest staged by a carefully selected Non Governmental Organisations, which include, Path of Peace Initiative said the Ghana Commission was already at ECOWAS court over the killing.  He added that the Commission had received several petitions over the issue which they would soon respond to.

Mrs Ayogu, Godwin%u2019s mother

Mr. Isaac retereited that the case of chukwudi Ayogu, was only unfortunate at the time it happened as Nigeria and Ghana have been enjoying good relationship from time immemorial.
On why the Ghanian commission did not pay Ayogu’s family a condolent visit since the unfortunate incident,  Isaac said; “it is not that we are happy about the issue ,neither are we idle over giving justice to the case, but as you know, this issue is international, and protocals must be followed. The commission might not have seen the family now, but soon, they will surface, and I myself may even come before them to pay the family a visit”, he assured.
Comrade Dandy Eze, leader of one of the groups that took a protest to Ghanian Embassy  said the action by the Ghana government was quite disappointing despite their claim to have been in cordial relationship with Nigeria for ages. He maintained that though Nigerians are not saying Godwin was killed by the Ghanaian government, but  that the rate at which the government was treating the case with kids’ glove has betrayed the trust reposed in them as a good neighbouring country.
Dandy who also blamed Nigerian Universities’ poor standard as a factor that caused the parents to have registered their son with a foreign institution that saw his end also pleaded with Nigerian government never to relent in the efforts to ensuring the evil perpetrators among students of Cape Coast University are brought to book.
Mrs. Ayoku, mother of the deceased child, in her address to Daily Newswatch expressed  regret and shock over her decision to have suggested their first born schooling outside Nigeria shore.
“I regret sending my child to study in Ghana, because if he had gained admission into higher institution in Nigeria, this would not have happened. We sent him to Ghana in order to avoid the delay usually caused by strike actions by Nigerian universities.
“ Even the proprietor of the secondary school where he graduated advised us to register him with schools in Canada to further his studies, but we thought the distance was too much. He even spoke with me recently before all this, telling me about the situation of his education. He said he was no more changing his course as planned; adding that he now in good tune with the course he was offering. And we were all waiting for his first degree graduation while he then continued  the remaining studies in Canada, but now, should I say the Ghanians have dashed my hope?”, she asked rhetorically.
Whereas, Republc of Ghana had been given a two- week ultimatum by the NGO to reveal the killers of the former Nigerian student who was at Cape Coast University. This was conveyed in the petition handled to the Deputy Consul-General of Ghana Commission at their base in Ikeja. The petition from Paths Of Peace Initiatives which was signed by its president, Dandy Eze was dated March 18, 2014, and entitled, “Re: The killing and slow investigation in the case of Godwin Ayogu Chukwudi, a student of the University of Cape Coast, Ghana”.
It stipulated that the perpetrators suspected thatChukwudi who wanted to return to his country, Nigeria on the fateful day would reveal the gang that dispossessed him of the cash decided to kill him.
“Since then, the Ghanaian police in support of the University authority have failed to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act, even when they know the perpetrators and their accomplice. It should be noted that since the killing was reported to the police, no arrest had been made “.
Meanwhile, reports from media in Nigeria had showed the high tense of the issue as Nigerian House of Representatives have promised to send investigative team to probe the killing of Nigerian students in the country in recent time.
It would be recalled that not less that four Nigerian students that studied in Ghana have lost their lives in last four months.
Daily Newswatch gathered that Godwin Ayogu’s death actually made it the fourth Nigerian student to lose his life in the space of less thanfour months in Ghana. This has not only posed the question of how safe Nigerian students are in the Gold Coast, but it has also raised the question of how much University management take an interest in the well-being of their foreign students, most of whom are teenagers.
The first death case was reported in October 2013 of a 15-year-old Nigerian, by the name of Master Austine Chukwuebuka Ogukwe, an SS3 student of Ideal College, Community 5, in Tema, who was reported dead under the watchful eyes of his house master.
The second incident happened in November 2013, barely 26 days after the first death occurred. Two  other Nigerian students, Eddy and Charles of KNUSford University in Accra went for an excursion to the Volta Region, under the guidance of school representative(s), but died when their canoe capsized.