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GhanaON RECORD · They Were Told

Obuasi SHTS complaints reached officials four times before the case broke, documentary says

Before Ghana heard about the allegations against the Obuasi SHTS headmaster, a municipal chief executive, an education director, school management and parents had each been told. The headmaster denies the allegations.

By QMS Newsroom21 Oct 2026, 02:30 GMT2 min read
Obuasi SHTS complaints reached officials four times before the case broke, documentary says
Image: ON RECORD · They Were Told episode cover, Qwofi Manuel Studio.

Allegations of sexual misconduct against Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School in the Ashanti Region, became national news in October 2026. According to a JoyNews documentary by Manasseh Azure Awuni and a GhanaWeb chronology drawn from it, people in authority had been told at least four times before then. The headmaster denies the allegations, and no court has ruled on them.

Four warnings

Early 2025: the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi West, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, says the school's former sports master brought her an allegation against the headmaster involving a student. She invited the parents. They came without the student, and the matter went no further.

February 2026: according to the documentary, the school's Girl Child Coordinator and another teacher wrote to management about growing complaints of sexual assault and asked for an impartial investigation. The petition was not acted on.

March 2026: five students went to the Municipal Director of Education, George Alfred Koomson, and three put their complaints in writing. He confirmed this to the investigation and said he fell ill soon after.

July 2026: old students and parents petitioned. The documentary says some parents later withdrew after alleged pressure.

After the riot

On 4 August, students attacked the headmaster, damaged his vehicle, six were arrested, and the school was closed. GhanaWeb gives the date as 5 August. The same day, one student filed a complaint with the police.

A nine-member GES committee invited 16 students named by the school's Safe Space officer. Four attended, and the committee found the allegations "not substantiated". GES has since told the public to "ignore any news" that the headmaster has been cleared. Mr Azure Awuni asked: "Which of them on that committee is equipped to investigate rape?"

NAGRAT President Jacob Anaba says 38 teachers were told to leave the school, including the teacher who reported the complaints. GES has not addressed this publicly.

One day in October

Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed says the CID received a report on 7 September. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu ordered the headmaster's suspension on 13 October, and GES interdicted him the next day.

Mr Abdulai was the NDC's constituency secretary in Juaben and had filed to run for chairman. On 19 October, Deputy General Secretary Mustapha Gbande said "he can now file and proceed", reversing an earlier position.

On Tuesday 20 October, General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey directed him to step aside. He resigned as secretary and withdrew from the race, saying he was "pursuing all lawful avenues to clear my name". GES asked the Ashanti Regional and Obuasi Municipal education directors to step aside. Police said the docket was with the Attorney-General. The same day, the Interior Minister told Parliament's Public Accounts Committee the headmaster had been arrested and that police need a court order for DNA evidence.

Police spokesman ASP Lloyd Baidoo said the docket covers the one complaint filed in August. "Humbly, the police investigate matters that have been reported to them," he said. Police were also asked about 19 students who have reportedly made allegations.

QMS News does not name or show the students involved.

The QMS take · Opinion

We don't decide guilt here; a court does. But the record shows adults in Obuasi were told again and again over about eighteen months, and it took a journalist with a camera for the rest of us to hear it. After that, the system moved in a single day.

ON RECORD · They Were ToldThey Were Told, the full ON RECORD episode
Watch ↗
Sources
  • GhanaWeb: Obuasi SHTS sex scandal, what we know so far (16 Oct 2026)
  • JoyNews and Adom Online: Inside the Dreaded Headmaster's Bungalow, Hotline Documentary (19 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: allegations "not substantiated" in August inquiry, GES report (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: 38 teachers told to leave, NAGRAT President (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline and GhanaWeb: NDC reverses withdrawal directive (19 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: NDC directs headmaster to step aside; headmaster resigns as constituency secretary (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: GES directs Ashanti Regional and Obuasi Municipal education directors to step aside (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: police forward docket to Attorney-General; police explain why one complaint was investigated (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: headmaster arrested, Interior Minister tells PAC (20 Oct 2026)
  • MyJoyOnline: Manasseh Azure Awuni on the GES committee (20 Oct 2026)

Every factual line in this story is checked against at least two independent sources, unless the text says it comes from one report.