A photo of the entrance of the school
The sexual abuse allegations involving female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) and the headmaster of the school have evolved from complaints reportedly made to school and education authorities into a major controversy that has prompted the interdiction of the school’s headmaster, a police investigation and calls for accountability.
The controversy surrounding Headmaster Zakaria Abdulai has also raised questions about how complaints were handled by school authorities and other officials before the matter gained national attention in October 2026.
Here is a chronological account of the key developments in the case.
1. Complaints reportedly emerge in early 2025
According to an investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni, some authorities had received reports of alleged sexual misconduct involving the headmaster long before his suspension.
Obuasi West Municipal Chief Executive, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, said that she received information about an alleged incident shortly after assuming office, which she believes was in early 2025.
She recounted being informed by the school’s former sports master that the headmaster had allegedly slept with a female student. She said she subsequently invited the student’s parents.
However, the parents came alone without the victim. She claimed that she requested to speak to the victim to gather first hand information on the case but subsequently, neither the parents nor the victim returned to pursue the matter.
The documentary, titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, examined allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape involving female students.
14 Students,1 Headmaster: Details of Manasseh’s Obuasi SHS sexual abuse exposé
The allegations have not been established in court, and the headmaster’s culpability remains subject to investigation.
2. February 2026: Teachers petitioned school management
In February 2026, the school’s Girl Child Coordinator and a teacher reportedly petitioned management over what they described as a growing number of sexual assault complaints against the headmaster.
The two teachers called for an immediate, impartial and confidential investigation into the matter.
However, the investigation reported that the petition was not acted upon.
The development has raised questions about the response of school authorities to complaints involving the alleged abuse of students.
3. March 2026: Five girls reportedly make complaints
The Obuasi West Municipal Director of Education, George Alfred Koomson, confirmed to the investigation that five girls from the school reported alleged sexual assault by the headmaster to his office in March 2026.
According to the report, the director invited the students after receiving information from the school’s safeguarding officer.
Three of the girls reportedly submitted written complaints against Abdulai.
The investigation said the complaints were not investigated before another alleged rape incident occurred in July.
Koomson reportedly explained that he fell seriously ill shortly after receiving the complaints.
4. July 2026: Old students’ association petitions authorities
The school’s old students’ association reportedly submitted a petition in July calling for an investigation into the allegations.
The investigation also cited written complaints from alleged victims and petitions from parents who wanted authorities to intervene.
Riot, Properties Vandalised: GES details how students reacted to alleged sexual assault at Obuasi SHS
It further reported that some parents subsequently withdrew their complaints following alleged pressure from opinion leaders who intervened on the headmaster’s behalf.
These accounts have become part of the wider scrutiny of how the allegations were handled before the matter reached the national stage.
5. July 25, 2026: Another alleged rape incident
The investigation reported an alleged rape on July 25, 2026, after the earlier complaints had reportedly been made to education authorities.
The incident became a significant part of the allegations examined in the documentary.
The investigation also reported claims that some individuals had intervened in earlier cases involving the headmaster.
Those accounts included allegations of attempts to discourage complaints, although the people named in the investigation disputed some of the claims.
Abdulai declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by JoyNews, saying the Ghana Education Service (GES) and police were investigating the matter.
6. August 5, 2026: Students attack the headmaster
The controversy at the school took another turn on August 5, 2026, when students allegedly attacked Abdulai and vandalised property at his bungalow.
According to reports, the disturbance began after a student claimed to have seen the headmaster’s vehicle near the school’s refuse dump and raised an alarm.
Some students alleged that they had discovered a freshly buried baby at the location and accused the headmaster of engaging in ritual activities.
The students subsequently confronted and assaulted him. He sustained multiple injuries and was admitted to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
The rampage extended to his bungalow, where household property, including a Toyota RAV4, was reportedly damaged.
Police intervened to restore order, and six students suspected of participating in the incident were arrested.
The circumstances surrounding the alleged discovery and the students’ accusations formed part of the reported account of the riot.
7. October 2026: Investigative documentary brings allegations into national focus
In October 2026, Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigative documentary brought renewed attention to the sexual abuse allegations and the earlier complaints reportedly made to authorities.
The investigation examined accounts from alleged victims and documents relating to complaints made to school management, education officials and other authorities.
It also raised questions about whether interventions by influential individuals had affected the handling of the complaints.
The documentary prompted renewed public scrutiny and official action against the headmaster.
8. October 13, 2026: Education Minister orders suspension
Following the documentary and the renewed attention to the allegations, Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu directed the immediate suspension of Abdulai pending investigations.
The minister also requested the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to commence investigations into the allegations.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Education, the minister stressed that teachers and school authorities had a responsibility to protect students entrusted to their care.
The directive marked a major step in the official response to the allegations.
9. October 14, 2026: GES confirms interdiction
The Ghana Education Service subsequently confirmed that Abdulai had been interdicted with immediate effect while a full-scale investigation continued.
Minister orders suspension of Obuasi SHTS headmaster over alleged sexual misconduct
GES Public Relations Officer Daniel Fenyi explained that the decision was intended to protect the integrity of the investigation.
He said the headmaster had been directed to make himself available to assist investigators and hand over the management of the school to the Regional Director of Education.
The service also confirmed that a complaint had been lodged with the police.
GES said the alleged misconduct had triggered a student rampage, the destruction of school property and the temporary closure of the institution.
10. October 14–15, 2026: Parents raise concerns about students’ education
The controversy has also affected students whose education was disrupted by the closure of the school.
John Kwaku Bobena, the father of a student who was allegedly abused, told Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem that his daughter, a final-year student preparing for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), could be forced to abandon her education if the GES failed to secure an alternative school for her.
He said students should not suffer academically because of allegations against the headmaster.
Bobena also alleged that some parents were being threatened to abandon the case, a claim that would require separate investigation.
11. GES committee recommendation
On October 15, 2026, Dr Issahaque Munawaru, GES Deputy Director-General in charge of Quality and Access, disclosed that a committee investigating the August riot had submitted its report to GES headquarters.
The committee recommended that Abdulai and other staff implicated in the disturbance be reposted to other institutions or duty stations in the interest of the service.
Dr Munawaru said the committee’s report contained approximately 27 or 28 recommendations, including measures to address the conduct of staff and students whose actions raised concerns.
It also recommended dissolving informal student groupings and strengthening channels for reporting sexual harassment, including training designated staff to handle complaints confidentially and promptly.
However, the report on the riot should not automatically be interpreted as a final determination of the sexual abuse allegations.
12. October 15, 2026: GES says proven sexual misconduct warrants dismissal
Addressing the sexual abuse allegations, Dr Munawaru said he had not seen explicit findings of culpability in the portions of the report he had read.
He cautioned, however, that this did not necessarily mean the report contained no such findings, adding that GES headquarters had the authority to vary a regional committee’s findings where there were grounds to do so.
On the consequences of proven sexual misconduct, he stated: “Once we establish culpability, it’s dismissal.”
He explained that termination allowed an officer to leave with some benefits, whereas dismissal meant an outright end to the person’s service.
Dr Munawaru also disclosed that the GES Council had approved about 15 dismissals in October 2026 in sexual harassment cases dating back to 2021.
He said the timing of the review of the Obuasi SHTS report would depend on instructions from the Director-General.
MRA/VPO
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