UG suspends classes again after another bomb threat

It was an experience of musical chairs of the unsettling kind with classes being cancelled once again at Guyana’s premier tertiary institution, the University of Guyana (UG), which received a second consecutive bomb threat on Wednesday.
This time, the threat came in the late afternoon period, and students and staff were not taking chances as they quickly departed the premises when security personnel swooped to investigate the threat.
Guyana Times saw notices which were sent out after 17:00h advising students of the administration’s order that the Turkeyen Campus be evacuated owing to the bomb threat. Earlier in the day, some classes were held as indicated by Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith on Tuesday. However, this publication was credibly informed that some classes were already put on hold on Wednesday even before the administration ordered the discontinuation later on.
In an invited comment to the press regarding the new threat, Vice Chancellor Griffith noted that Police called the University’s security personnel indicating that they received a call about an alleged bomb. At the time members of the press were present, the security team was again conducting a building-by-building assessment of the campus.
“I’ve sent all the students and staff home until we establish full security of our buildings,” he stressed.
This bomb threat was in line with threats seen on social media platforms earlier on Wednesday which indicated that other persons would be planting explosives at various institutions. The posts were prevalent on Facebook in the name of an unknown individual going by the name of “Ki Ra” on Wednesday, who said: “This is not the end.”
The threats have left many concerned persons calling for law enforcement officials to accelerate their actions to capture the person (s) responsible. This publication attempted several times to contact senior officers within the Guyana Police Force for an update into the investigation, which proved futile. The University of Guyana was the last entity targeted, forcing students to flee onto the fields in fear of their lives after being told that a bomb was planted somewhere on campus. More than that, there were reports of persons under the guise of officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who demanded entry to several premises to conduct searches of the property. One of the incidents reportedly occurred on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).
Parents of School of the Nations students announced Tuesday that $1 million would be rewarded if information about the suspect is divulged. In addition, the President of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) Anna Lisa Fraser-Phang argued that the Education Ministry has been doing nothing to help the situation. They are especially worried since the School’s Director, Dr Brian O’Toole was shot on January 27, at his home.
Last Friday, Queen’s College and the Bishops’ High School were on lockdown after social media accounts believed to have been created by one person issued threats to students.