Story Highlights
- A JoyNews investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni alleges that headmaster Zakaria Abdulai sexually abused 14 female students over the past year.
- The Municipal Education Director reportedly said five girls filed complaints in March 2026, but the inquiry stalled when he fell ill.
- Further incidents were allegedly reported in June, and a student reported being raped in July.
- Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu ordered Abdulai’s suspension on October 13 and asked the Police CID to investigate.
- An August riot over an alleged foetus burial left the headmaster injured, led to arrests of students and teachers, and closed the school.
- Abdulai has not been charged. The allegations remain unproven.
Warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse against minors
Prominent investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, in a latest report, has detailed how an Obuasi Senior High Technical School headmaster, Zakaria Abdula Abdulai, sexually abused 14 female students over the past year.
A full documentary is due next week. A trailer is already circulating.
Mr. Awuni said the most troubling part of the case was that it was not hidden. People in Obuasi, including those expected to act on complaints, were aware of the allegations. He said the situation escalated over about a year and a half despite awareness among education officials and the political class.
According to Mr. Awuni, the Municipal Education Director told him that five girls came to the directorate in March 2026 and said the headmaster had sexually assaulted them. The director said he fell ill at the time, and the investigation did not proceed.
Mr. Awuni also alleged that another incident occurred in June, and that a student reported being raped by the headmaster in July. Teachers responsible for girl-child education and safeguarding at the school had written several letters and petitions about the alleged abuse.
He said this was not the first case of its kind at the school. In 2018, he investigated a senior housemaster there who was accused of misconduct with a student. He was later told that the housemaster had been dismissed.
A Father’s Account
In August, the father of one student publicly alleged that Mr. Abdulai had forced his daughter into sexual intercourse.
He said his daughter told him the headmaster ignored her attempts to stop him, pushed her into his bedroom and had sex with her without her consent.
He said he later went to the school but told authorities only that his daughter was unwell and needed an exeat. He did not report the alleged assault at the time.
Claims of a Cover-Up
Kwabena Egyiri, an old student, told Adom FM, a local radio station, that about 15 students were harassed within the headmaster’s first month in office. Mr. Abdulai had been at the school for less than a year, succeeding the retired Mr. Wiafe.
Mr. Egyiri alleged that one student who told female teachers about an incident was warned not to tell anyone. She then confided in two other teachers. He said one of them, Teacher Amankwa, confronted the headmaster, who acknowledged the issue.
Mr. Egyiri called for all housemistresses to be removed and investigated. His claims have not been independently verified.
The Riot That Exposed the Crisis
On August 5, a student reported seeing the headmaster’s vehicle near the school’s refuse dump in the early hours. Students who gathered there found what they believed to be a freshly buried baby. Some claimed the burial was linked to an abortion involving a student.
The school’s head of security said students attacked the headmaster with sticks and cutlasses. Three staff bungalows were vandalised, and vehicles belonging to the headmaster and the assistant headmaster were badly damaged.
Obuasi District Police Commander Superintendent Mahama Iddrisu confirmed that a baby boy had been buried on campus. He said police might conduct a post-mortem and, if possible, a DNA test to establish who brought the body there.
No results have been made public.
The Fallout
On October 13, the ministry directed the GES Director-General to suspend Mr. Abdulai immediately, pending full investigations.
The Education Minister asked the CID Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service to investigate. The ministry said parents entrust their children to teachers whose duty is to protect them, not abuse them.
GES spokesperson Daniel Fenyi said Mr. Abdulai was interdicted to prevent him from intimidating students or withholding information.
Mr. Fenyi said rumours had circulated for three to four months, but the Service could not act on unverified claims. He said the documentary footage corroborated the allegations under review.
After the riot, police arrested six students, and the school was closed indefinitely. Two teachers were later arrested over the attack. The headmaster suffered machete injuries and has since been discharged from hospital.
Unanswered Questions
The March complaints went unaddressed for seven months. The case raises several open questions:
- Why did no one take over the inquiry when the Municipal Education Director fell ill?
- What happened to the safeguarding teachers’ petitions?
- Who buried the infant found on campus?
Mr. Abdulai has not publicly responded to the allegations. He has not been charged and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
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