Obuasi SHTS Abuse Probe 85 Per Cent Complete, Says Education Minister

The Education Ministry's inquiry into alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School is about 85 per cent complete, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has told Parliament. He said he expects prosecution to follow shortly.

As first reported by Citi News, the minister said the evidence gathered so far may point to a prima facie case against the school's headteacher, Zakaria Abdulai. The headteacher has been interdicted over allegations of sexual assault involving some female students.

Mr Iddrisu addressed the House on Tuesday, November 10. He said he had earlier briefed a joint sitting of Parliament's Committees on Human Rights, Gender and Education on the situation at the school.

According to the minister, the ministry set up a committee on October 14 to look into the allegations, and that committee is close to finishing its work.

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"Mr Speaker, I'm happy to note that the committee we put together on October 14 is 85% complete with its investigation, and the weight of evidence suggests that a court would have considered the matter that a prima facie case is established for purposes of prosecution, which we expect to start shortly," he said.

He added that the police are handling the criminal side of the matter. "I'm happy to note and report that the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police Service is dealing with the criminal aspects of it, which has to do with sexual assault against some students at Obuasi Technical Senior High School," Mr Iddrisu said.

The case is therefore being dealt with on two separate tracks. The Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is investigating the alleged sexual assaults, while the ministry's committee carries out its own administrative inquiry.

According to Citi News, the minister's comments suggest the headteacher could face criminal prosecution once investigations are complete. No charges have been reported so far, and the allegations have not been tested in court.

The police investigation is continuing.