Teachers of OLA Senior High School, Ho, have been living in fear and anxiety for the past three months.
This follows persistent raid on their bungalows by robbers.
There have been about 15 cases of break-ins and stealing of personal items at teachers’ bungalows on campus since October, this year.
Some of the terrified teachers, who spoke to The Spectator on Monday, said that the robbers, who operated day and night, often gained access to the school by scaling a portion of the perimeter fence wall near the Galenku Hill.
“They usually strike during class hours when teachers were not at home,” a source told The Spectator.
In most cases, the burglars took away cooking utensils and harvested vegetables from the gardens of the teachers.
In one instance, they stole more than 50 fowls from the poultry coop of a teacher, and went further to steal fish and other food items from the kitchen of other teachers.
Worse, still the thieves sometimes left notes that read ‘Rest in Peace” on the doors of their victims.
According to the teacher, sometimes the robbers were spotted fleeing with dangerous weapons like cutlasses and metal bars in hand, which made them very dangerous to approach and apprehend.
“Now, we do not know whether the robbers will soon extend their nefarious activities to the dormitories of the students,” one of the teachers whose house was burgled five times during the period said.
According to him, an intruder who attempted to break into his bungalow recently during the day time, was arrested and handed over to the police, but the suspect was later released for lack of evidence.
Meanwhile, some teachers who can no longer put up with the trend are making frantic efforts to vacate their bungalows, and rent rooms in town.
When contacted on phone, the headmistress, Madam Regina Coffie confirmed the story and said that “thieves are harassing us.”
But she later cancelled an appointment with this reporter for a briefing on the issue.
On his part, the Ho Municipal Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alex Adade Yeboah said that the cases were being looked into and that officers had mounted a search for the culprits, in addition to day and night patrols around the school.
Pix: OLA Senior High School, Ho