Obuasi SHTS abuse allegations: Reported cases rise to 19

The number of students who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse involving the suspended headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School has risen from 16 to 19, JoyNews Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has disclosed.

He said three additional students had reportedly come forward, adding to the cases uncovered during his investigation.

“From yesterday, my sources at the school told me the number has grown to 19. So way more names have come up, and it is likely there will be more, because some didn’t give a report,” he said on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday, October 18.

Speaking on Joy FM on Thursday, October 15, about his latest documentary, Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, Manasseh said the initial information he received concerned five students.

However, the number increased to 14 when he visited the school to investigate. Two more students subsequently came forward with similar allegations, bringing the number to 16 before the latest three cases emerged.

Manasseh said the latest allegations were particularly troubling because they followed a similar incident at the school in 2018, involving a senior housemaster who was dismissed.

“I’ve been to Obuasi twice. First in 2018, and this is my second time visiting Obuasi. The first visit was about allegations of sexual assault in the same school,” he said.

He explained that after returning from studies abroad, he received a message from a source at the school indicating that the situation had worsened and that attempts had been made to reach him while he was away.

According to Manasseh, the situation was more difficult to address this time because the allegations involved the headmaster, who occupies the highest position in the school’s administrative structure.

He also expressed concern about what he described as widespread awareness of the allegations within the Obuasi community, including among members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), despite an apparent reluctance to speak publicly.

The allegations against the headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, remain subject to investigation.