KNUST final-year students honour slain colleague Joana Yabani with poignant tribute

It was a somber day for the final-year Biological Science students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), who should have been celebrating the end of their academic journey with joy and excitement.

Instead, they paused to remember their late colleague, Miss Joana Deladem Yabani, whose life was tragically cut short last semester.

The class concluded their studies with a symbolic group photograph inscribed with the initials “J.Y.” in her honour, a gesture that transformed what should have been a moment of triumph into one of reflection and remembrance.

Joana, a promising 22-year-old student, was found dead near the KNUST Disability and Rehabilitation Centre while preparing for her semester examinations.

She was later pronounced dead at the University Health Services.

Police investigations led to the arrest of 21-year-old Daniel Tuffuor, also a final-year student and believed to have been in a relationship with Joana.

CCTV footage allegedly placed him at the crime scene in the same attire he had been spotted wearing during the incident.

The case remains before the court, with the next hearing scheduled for September 15, 2025.

For her grieving classmates, the “J.Y.” signature photograph stands as a lasting tribute, a way to keep Joana’s memory alive as they prepare to graduate.

It also serves as a sobering reminder to the wider university community of a bright young life tragically stolen in the pursuit of academic excellence.