The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Women's Wing has given the government a 14-day ultimatum to ensure justice for students allegedly sexually abused at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), warning of nationwide demonstrations if authorities fail to act.
Led by the party's National Women's Organiser, Mavis Hawa Koomson, the group is demanding an independent investigation into the allegations against the school's headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, and accountability for any school or local government officials suspected of ignoring earlier complaints.
The ultimatum was issued during a protest in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, where hundreds of residents and NPP Women's Wing members took to the streets to demand justice for the affected students.
The demonstrators, dressed in red and black, began their march at the Tutuka Roundabout and proceeded through some principal streets of the municipality under heavy police escort. They later converged at the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, where they presented a petition to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
Some of the placards displayed during the demonstration read: "Say No to Sexual Abuse", "Our Girls Need Protection", "Sex for Grades is Abominable" and "Justice for Our Girls".
Addressing the protesters, Hawa Koomson called for the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the allegations.
She also urged investigators to examine the headmaster's previous postings to establish whether similar complaints had been made against him before his appointment to Obuasi SHTS.
The former Member of Parliament further called for scrutiny of school authorities and other officials who may have received complaints but failed to take appropriate action.
Beyond the investigation, she demanded stronger child-protection measures in schools, including confidential reporting systems, toll-free reporting lines and accessible counselling services for students who experience sexual abuse or harassment.
Hawa Koomson also appealed to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to introduce more effective safeguards to protect students entrusted to the care of teachers and school administrators.
She accused the government of allowing political considerations to interfere with the handling of the matter, arguing that the allegations were damaging the school's reputation and threatening the future of the affected girls.
The NPP Women's Organiser warned that the group would not abandon its demands until the victims received justice.
She said that if the government failed to respond within 14 days, the protesters would first take their demonstration to the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), where they intend to demand action from the Regional Minister.
The group also threatened to march to Jubilee House in Accra as part of a nationwide campaign to compel authorities to address the allegations.
"We are not going to relent until justice for our innocent girls," the demonstrators chanted during the march.
Meanwhile, the NPP's Third National Vice Chairman, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, described the developments at Obuasi SHTS as devastating.
He cautioned against politicising the matter, insisting that the safety, dignity and welfare of the students should take precedence over partisan interests.
He also questioned what he described as the President's silence on the issue and appealed to the CID Director-General, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, to ensure that the investigation received the necessary attention.
Nana Boakye urged the police chief to approach the matter with urgency and sensitivity, adding that, as a woman, she should appreciate the pain and vulnerability of the alleged victims.
Background to the Obuasi SHTS allegations
The controversy surrounding Obuasi SHTS intensified following allegations of sexual misconduct involving the school's headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, and female students.
An investigative documentary by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster's Bungalow, brought renewed public attention to the allegations and raised questions about how complaints against the headmaster had previously been handled.
Reports indicated that several students, parents and teachers had raised concerns about alleged misconduct before the matter received widespread public attention.
The Ghana Education Service subsequently interdicted Abdulai on October 14, 2026, pending investigations, while the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, directed the police CID to investigate the criminal aspects of the allegations.
The police later disclosed that a complaint involving an alleged rape on July 25, 2026, had been reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU). After completing several investigative procedures, including medical examinations, witness statements and a reconstruction of the alleged crime scene, the case docket was forwarded to the Attorney-General's Office on October 22 for study and advice.
The number of students reported to have come forward with allegations also rose to 19, according to reports by JoyNews.
On October 27, the Education Minister announced that the government would provide psychological counselling, medical care and academic support to the 19 students identified in connection with the allegations.
The investigations and calls for accountability have continued to fuel public debate over student protection, institutional responsibility and the need for effective reporting mechanisms in Ghana's schools.
EA
Copyright © 1994 - 2026 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
