ACCRA, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Authorities ordered the closure of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana's second largest city of Kumasi, 280 km north of the capital late Monday, local media has reported.

The decision coming on the heels of violent protests which rocked the campus of the school on Monday is aimed at restoring sanity while the government took steps to mediate in the impasse.

Protest by students on the campus on Monday over what they thought was the high-handedness of authorities in dealing with students turned violent with properties including motorbikes, motor-vehicles, school structures among others vandalized by the rampaging students.

This happened after around ten students who were part of a vigil being kept by students on Friday night were arrested by the police.

However, the Students Representative Council described the action by the authorities as repressive and so organized the Monday protests.

Hundreds of police personnel drawn from all over the region were deployed on the campus to restore calm.

The Regional Security Council took the decision late Monday to close down the school indefinitely after a meeting with school management.

The Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah who announced the decision to the media added that there was a dusk-to-dawn curfew between the hours of 6.00 pm and 6.00 am imposed on the school, starting late Monday.

All students except foreign students were given up to noon on Tuesday to vacate the school premises.