By Grace Zigah
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Dr William Amankrah Appiah, and the Obuasi Municipal Director of Education, Kwamena Owusu-Nketiah, to step aside with immediate effect as investigations continue into allegations of sexual misconduct involving the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai.
The directive, announced in a press release dated Tuesday, October 20, 2026, represents a significant development in a controversy that has drawn widespread public attention, triggered political debate and intensified calls for accountability within Ghana’s education sector.
According to the statement issued by the GES Public Relations Unit, the decision is intended to ensure that the ongoing investigations proceed without interference or the perception that any individual could influence the process.
The two directors have been instructed to hand over their offices and all state property in their possession to the Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Thomas Kwame Boateng.
The statement, signed by Daniel Fenyi, Head of Public Relations at the GES, also reaffirmed that Abdulai remains interdicted and cautioned the public against reports suggesting that he had been cleared of the allegations.
“Therefore, the public is urged to ignore any news making the rounds that the headmaster has been cleared,” the statement said.The Service called for calm, support and cooperation as investigations continue.
Mounting Pressure Over Obuasi SHTS Allegations
The latest administrative action comes amid growing pressure on education authorities to demonstrate accountability in their handling of allegations against Abdulai, who has been at the centre of a controversy involving claims of sexual abuse of female students.
The matter gained national attention following investigative reporting by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, including the documentary Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which examined allegations involving the headmaster and female students at Obuasi SHTS.
The allegations prompted intervention from Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, who directed the Ghana Education Service to suspend Abdulai pending investigations and called for a criminal inquiry by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
The case has since raised questions about how complaints involving school authorities are handled, the effectiveness of child-protection mechanisms within educational institutions and the responsibilities of officials tasked with supervising schools.
The decision to direct the two education directors to step aside suggests that the ongoing process is not limited to the conduct of the headmaster alone. However, the GES statement did not specify whether the directors are suspected of particular wrongdoing or identify the specific issues investigators are examining in relation to their offices.
Police Forward Case Docket to Attorney-General
The administrative developments come as the criminal investigation into the allegations against Abdulai has advanced to the prosecutorial review stage.
In a press release dated October 16, 2026, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ashanti South Region, based in Bekwai, announced that the case docket had been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Office for study and advice.
According to the police, a 20-year-old Form Two student of Obuasi SHTS, accompanied by her father, lodged a complaint with the Obuasi DOVVSU office on August 4, 2026.
The complaint alleged that Abdulai forcibly had sexual intercourse with the student on July 25, 2026, at his official bungalow on the school campus.
The police statement indicated that the student had alleged that she was near the headmaster’s residence to remove clothes she had left to dry when he asked her to enter his residence to undertake an errand.
According to the account provided to the police, the student alleged that the headmaster touched her against her wishes before dragging her into his bedroom, where the alleged rape occurred. She further alleged that she was given GH¢100 afterwards to keep quiet about the incident.
These details remain allegations contained in the complaint and have not, by themselves, established Abdulai’s guilt.
The police said investigative procedures, including a medical examination, reconstruction of the scene, photographs and witness statements, had been completed before the case docket was forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Office.
The submission of the docket does not itself amount to a conviction or a final determination of the allegations. The next steps will depend on the assessment of the evidence and the advice of the prosecutorial authorities.
