Members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) took to the streets of Obuasi on Friday to demand justice for female students who have accused the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, of sexual misconduct. The march, dubbed Justice For Our Girls Demo and led by the party’s National Women’s Organiser, Mavis Hawa Koomson, called for accountability and stronger protection for girls in schools. The protesters presented petitions to the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, the Municipal Education Director, the Parent-Teacher Association, and the Ashanti Regional Minister, with copies addressed to the Vice President and the Inspector-General of Police, giving authorities 14 days to respond or face a further protest in Accra.
The demonstration followed an investigative report by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which brought the allegations into the public domain. According to information from the Education Ministry and investigators, the claims involve 19 female students and include allegations of rape, sexual assault, and harassment, which have not been proven in court. The case gained national attention after a 20-year-old student alleged she was assaulted at the headmaster’s official bungalow on campus on July 25, reported the matter to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit on August 4, and further alleged she was given GH¢100 to remain silent. Mr Abdulai has consistently denied all the allegations.
The Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, ordered the Ghana Education Service in October to suspend the headmaster and referred the matter to the police Criminal Investigations Department, leading to his interdiction and the stepping aside of three regional education officials to avoid interference. The Interior Minister later told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that Mr Abdulai had been arrested, cautioned, and granted self-recognisance bail, with police seeking a court order for a DNA sample and forwarding a docket to the Attorney-General’s Office for advice. The ruling National Democratic Congress also acknowledged mishandling its initial response, after initially backing Mr Abdulai before he resigned as Juaben Constituency Secretary. The Education Ministry says affected students are receiving counselling, medical care, and academic support, with one student transferred to another school on November 5 to protect her wellbeing, while investigations continue and no court has yet established the allegations.
