The Minority in Parliament has called for an independent inquiry into the handling of sexual abuse allegations involving female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), questioning whether earlier complaints were properly investigated and escalated.
Addressing journalists in Parliament on Thursday, October 22, 2026, Deputy Minority Leader and Minority Women’s Caucus chairperson Patricia Appiagyei said the probe must establish when authorities first became aware of the allegations, what action they took and whether political interference contributed to delays.
“These developments do not dispose of the central questions of when did the authorities first know, what did they do and why were these girls left seeking help?” she asked.
Mrs .Appiagyei said although allegations involved at least 19 girls, the Police indicated on October 20 that a complaint made in August 2026 had been investigated and the docket forwarded to the Attorney-General for advice.
She urged the Police to engage other potential complainants and investigate their accounts, while demanding protection, counselling, medical care and legal assistance for affected students.
“Frightened schoolgirls should not have to navigate official machinery unaided before the state takes an interest in their safety,” she said.
The caucus also wants officials responsible for any institutional failures identified and sanctioned, and has called on the responsible ministers to explain the chronology of events to Parliament.
“The government must identify who failed these students and hold them accountable. A suspension announced after public exposure cannot settle the question of earlier institutional failure,” she said.
The case gained national attention following journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigative report, ‘Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow’, which detailed allegations of sexual misconduct involving students at the school.
The Education Ministry subsequently directed the Ghana Education Service to interdict headmaster Zakaria Abdulai and requested a Police investigation.
Ashanti Regional Director of Education Dr William Amankrah Appiah and Obuasi East Municipal Director of Education Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah were also directed to step aside while investigations into the handling of the matter continued.
The Minority is calling for confidential reporting channels independent of school heads accused of abuse, alongside regular updates on the investigations that protect students’ identities and privacy.
“The girls are entitled to protection, to be heard, and to have their complaints properly investigated, and those duties cannot wait for a conviction,” Mrs. Appiagyei said.
The allegations remain under investigation.
