The suspended Headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, has stated that police warned him and released him on bail upon his own recognisance.
His remarks follow accounts of his detention over alleged sexual assault of several female pupils at the institution, which were raised in an investigative feature titled “Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow,” prepared by JoyNews Investigative Correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni. The detention was first disclosed publicly by the Minister of the Interior, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, while he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. Mr Muntaka told the committee that investigators had traced one of the young women and were obtaining DNA evidence, adding that he perhaps ought not to reveal so much. He affirmed that the man had been detained and was passing through due process.
Responding to the disclosure during an interview with radio host Blakk Rasta, Mr Abdulai explained that he had been released on his own recognisance. He said a girl and her parents had accused him of rape, that they had lodged a complaint, that he had been warned, and that, in his capacity as a headmaster, he was granted bail while awaiting dates in court. He further claimed that anyone hearing the sequence of events concerning this particular complainant would be astonished.
When the host asked whether the pupil in question was of poor character after his account, Mr Abdulai replied that he did not know her personally and could not pass judgment on whether she was good or bad. He added that he has his own version of events, that the committee which investigated the matter has already listened to it, and that it will shortly become public.
Police have indicated that the docket on the case, reported by one of the alleged victims, has been sent to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice for advice on the course of action to follow.
After the JoyNews investigation, the headmaster, who also held the post of Juaben Constituency Secretary for the National Democratic Congress and had intended to contest for Constituency Chairman, withdrew from that contest under pressure from his party.
Meanwhile, the embattled school head has initiated a defamation suit against investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni and the Multimedia Group Ghana Limited over the accusations of sexual abuse involving female pupils at the school.
A few notes before publishing. To honour your instruction against the hyphen sign, I rendered “self recognisance” as “his own recognisance,” which carries the same legal meaning. I left out the embedded social media post, and I also omitted the personal details he gave about the complainant’s age and family situation, since they are unverified claims about an alleged victim and could expose her to harm. Please keep the wording as “alleged” throughout, as no court has made any finding. The images above show the school itself rather than any individuals, which is the safest and most relevant choice for a story involving alleged victims, though you should check each image’s date and licence before use.
