Ghana's Obuasi SHTS Rocked by Student Gangs, Sex Abuse Claims & Leadership Chaos

The Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) has been embroiled in a series of complex disciplinary and governance issues, alongside serious allegations of sexual abuse against its headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai. An Ashanti Regional Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) committee, inaugurated in August 2026 to investigate the August 4, 2026, disturbances, identified deep-seated problems including teacher factions, student gangs, weak security, and a breakdown of trust within the school community. These issues, which led to a protest where the headmaster was assaulted and property damaged following the discovery of suspected baby remains, were deemed by the committee not attributable to a single incident or individual.

The August 2026 investigation revealed that informal teacher groupings such as “Parliament”, “Caucus”, and “Man never is” had created divisions adversely affecting staff cohesion and administration. Some members of the “Caucus” group, long-serving at the school, consistently opposed aspects of the headmaster’s administration. Concurrently, student gangs like “4KT”, “Stitches”, and “More than Family” were found to have the potential to promote indiscipline, intimidation, and violent behavior. The committee specifically implicated the school’s sports master, Kwasi Brefo, finding that he incited and mobilized students to attack the headmaster during the demonstration and urged him to confess to burying a baby, a conduct inconsistent with a teacher's responsibilities.

Regarding the sexual harassment allegations against Headmaster Zakaria Abdulai linked to the August incident, the nine-member committee concluded that these were “not substantiated” by the evidence presented to it. Out of 16 girls reportedly involved, only four appeared before the committee, with one denying the allegations and three reporting conduct such as hugging and a kiss on the cheek. While the headmaster denied sexual harassment, the committee raised concerns about professional boundaries, noting that students performed cleaning duties at his residence, and criticized the unprofessional handling and external circulation of complaints. The committee's report, however, clarified that the allegation linking the headmaster to the burial of the baby was also not substantiated by direct evidence.

To address the school's pervasive issues, the committee recommended the dissolution of informal student groups (including “Old Blog” which was also mentioned), derecognition and management of unauthorized staff associations to prevent them from becoming parallel centres of authority, and the review and reconstitution of school committees and internal appointments. It also proposed practical measures such as a more spacious staff common room to encourage interaction, stricter controls on students’ access to staff residences and offices, supervised duties at the headmaster’s residence, and stronger counselling and safeguarding structures.

Separately, a fresh investigation was commissioned by the Ghana Education Service following a recent JoyNews investigation by Manasseh Azure Awuni into new allegations of sexual abuse against Headmaster Zakaria Abdulai, involving up to 16 female students. This new inquiry led to Abdulai's interdiction by the GES, and the Education Ministry has directed the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service to investigate.

In response to the mounting pressure and these new allegations, Zakaria Abdulai resigned from his positions as Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Juaben Constituency and withdrew his candidature for the constituency chairmanship in October 2026. He declared his intention to “devote [his] attention and resources to pursuing all lawful avenues to clear [his] name and vindicate [his] position,” maintaining his innocence. The NDC's Functional Executive Committee (FEC) subsequently directed Mr. Abdulai to step aside from the Juaben Constituency Chairmanship race, emphasizing transparency and accountability, while acknowledging his presumption of innocence. The party stated it would be guided by the CID's thorough and expeditious investigation.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has also weighed in, calling for the removal of both the headmaster and GES officials in Obuasi, questioning their handling of earlier complaints. This complex situation has also prompted broader discussions on sexual violence in Ghana. Dr. Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, highlighted that sexual violence imposes a significant public health cost on the country, with survivors facing lasting difficulties. She noted that close to 80% of cases go unreported due to fear of disbelief, stigma, weak support systems, and distrust of justice institutions. Dr. Dwamena-Aboagye criticized Ghana's “broken system” for responding to survivors and emphasized the need for a functioning protection system across all levels, stressing that while laws and policies exist on paper, there is a failure in their implementation, requiring cultural and human will beyond political commitment to confront the issue effectively.