Hawa Koomson Issues 14-Day Ultimatum Over Slow Prosecution of Obuasi SHTS Headmaster

The National Women's Organiser for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mavis Hawa Koomson has given 14 days ultimatum to state authorities to speed up criminal proceedings against the interdicted Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS) headmaster Zakaria Abdulai. Speaking at a demonstration at Obuasi, the women leader called for swift legal action to be taken against the 19 female pupils who have accused the headmaster of serious sexual offences. Koomson also said the opposition women's wing will go into action with massive civil actions throughout the country if there is no swift and transparent justice.

Hundreds of angry locals and members of the NPP Women's Wing marched through the main roads of the mining city on Friday, November 6, 2026. Wearing heavy clothing, the protestors carried placards demanding the suspect's bail be revoked immediately. The demonstration ended outside Obuasi Municipal Assembly where they delivered a petition to the local government officials.

The scandal came to light after journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni released an undercover documentary investigating the case. In the documentary, several teenage girls spoke about being raped, sexually harassed and abused by the headmaster in his bungalow. The severity of the allegations caused an outcry and led to immediate investigations into the second cycle schools.

Hawa Koomson has criticised the slow investigation by the police. She questioned why the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had not brought criminal charges against the interdicted headmaster weeks after the complaints were made. Koomson was frustrated that the senior school official who has been accused of multiple felonies had been allowed to be on police bail while the young girls suffer psychological trauma.

"Zakaria Abdulai is going about doing his normal duty. Is that because he is a senior member of the NDC, the ruling party?" I am very disappointed that they are using their power to allow a senior school official accused of multiple crimes to walk free while the children he has abused suffer, she said. She urged the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to use their political powers to protect the high ranking teacher. "Child protection should never be a political issue. A child does not know what political colour they are."

The NPP Women's Wing want to investigate the background of the troubled administrator. Members of the party's communications department have written to the Ghana Education Service (GES) requesting that they look through all the second cycle schools that Abdulai has worked at in the last decade. The opposition say it is important to trace his movements to determine if there was a pattern of abuse that was overlooked by previous district directors.

Early investigations have found that there were warnings about the headmaster's behaviour. Investigation has found that there were multiple complaints from students to school authorities and local education inspectors as far back as March 2026. Despite this, no protective measures were put in place which civil rights groups say is a catastrophic failure to protect the children.

The scandal has received widespread criticism from the top levels of the legislature. Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Kumawu MP Ernest Yaw Anim, said that the actions were in breach of the Children's Act and UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The bipartisan committee praised the decision to interdict the headmaster and called for criminal charges to be brought swiftly to prevent abuse in the future.

Leading child welfare organisations have also spoken out calling for changes to how the country's educational system is run. Child Rights International (CRI), led by Executive Director Bright Appiah, have said that the way the Obuasi situation has been handled is a complete failure on the part of the GES. They are pushing for an independent School Child Protection Authority to be set up by social workers to deal with students.

International charities are also mobilising to provide important healthcare to the affected teens. SOS Children's Villages Ghana have issued a directive to provide long term trauma treatment, medical examinations and therapy to the 19 girls. They have warned that the pupils need intense protection from social services as they have been receiving threats.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection have spoken about putting the national security agencies on high alert to ensure the safety of the witnesses. Spokespeople for the government say they are working hard to bring criminal charges against the interdicted headmaster without any political bias. However, opposition leaders are unconvinced and say that the statements made by the administration mean nothing unless there are criminal charges.

Hawa Koomson has appealed to all the women, mothers and civil society groups in Ghana to speak up for the cause. "I'm fighting as a mother and I cannot allow our girls to be unsafe in second cycle boarding schools. The NPP youth and women's wing will continue with our demonstrations on a larger scale once the 14 days have passed if Abdulai has not been arraigned."

The legal battle will be a benchmark for how the country protects children and ensures transparency in public schools. Parents and teachers across the country will be watching to see how the Obuasi case is handled and will be sent a message about how the state protects vulnerable children. The two week clock is now ticking and all eyes are on the Criminal Investigations Department and Ministry of Justice to deliver swift results.