The National Women's Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mavis Hawa Koomson, has called for decisive action over alleged sexual abuse involving 19 students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS).
In a follow-up statement issued after her initial call for investigation, Ms Koomson said Ghanaians woke up a some weeks ago to horrifying news of abuse that violated the innocence, dignity and emotional well-being of the students and their confidence in institutions meant to protect them.
She said subsequent developments had compelled her, in her capacity as National Women's Organiser and a mother, to speak out again, stressing that the allegations of rape, sexual harassment and sexual assault against the headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, had exposed a protection crisis that went beyond the conduct of one individual.
The statement said, revelations that some complains might have reached school authorities as far back as March 2026, and institutional records pointing to similar malpractices since 2021, represented a catastrophic failure of the duty of care owed to children.
Ms Koomson acknowledged steps made public so far, including the interdiction of the headmaster by the Ghana Education Service, statements by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, and comments by the Vice President.
However, she said the statements, while necessary, were not sufficient.
"No decisive action has been taken.
The man walks around as a free person, after a supposed self-recognisance bail," she said, and added that the country must move beyond rhetoric and optics to take deterrent action that assured students, parents and Ghanaians that schools were safe.
She said the abuse must not be treated as an isolated incident that sparked public outrage for a few days before fading into oblivion, and called on the Ghana Police Service and other state institutions to act with urgency and transparency.
Comprehensive investigation
Ms Koomson called for a comprehensive investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the allegations and identify all those who might have been involved.
She said the probe should also scrutinise the actions and inaction of school authorities, District Chief Executives and District Directors of Education, and extend to schools where the headmaster had previously taught.
"The headmaster must not be shielded because of his influence, connections or standing. Neither should he be shielded because he is a senior member of the ruling National Democratic Congress, nor a board member of the Ghana National Film Authority," she stated.
She also called on the Ministry of Education and the GES to urgently review safeguarding systems, including establishment of confidential and accessible reporting mechanisms in every institution, a toll-free direct phone access, and provision of counselling departments in all basic and second-cycle institutions.
She called on Ghanaians, including parents, teachers, pastors, imams, traditional leaders, women’s advocates and politicians, to rise up and speak out, while urging the Vice-President to intervene, stressing that the matter transcended political affiliations.
