Police Arrest Interdicted Obuasi SHTS Headmaster Over Gross Misconduct Allegations.

The Ghana Police Service has arrested Zakaria Abdulai, the interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), following severe allegations of gross sexual misconduct involving multiple female students. The arrest was officially confirmed on 20 October 2026 by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, during an appearance before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. To ensure a thorough and objective process, the criminal case was transferred from the Ashanti Regional Police Command to the Police Headquarters in Accra.

The high-profile arrest follows a comprehensive investigative documentary by local media outlet JoyNews. The investigation detailed graphic accounts from victims, parents, and teachers alleging that the headmaster exploited his position to abuse up to 19 female students over a two-year period. In response to the initial public outcry and preliminary administrative findings, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, had previously directed the Ghana Education Service (GES) to place Abdulai on immediate interdiction pending a full-scale investigation.

During the parliamentary briefing, the Interior Minister disclosed that the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) had been actively investigating the matter since a formal report was filed on 7 September. Investigators are currently seeking a court order to legally obtain a DNA sample from the suspect. This forensic sample will be cross-examined against biological evidence recovered from a dress belonging to one of the underage victims.

The unfolding scandal has also triggered significant political ramifications for the embattled administrator. Abdulai, who served as the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) Secretary for the Juaben Constituency, was actively campaigning for the constituency's chairmanship race. Following a severe public backlash and shifting internal directives, the NDC national leadership ordered Abdulai to immediately withdraw his candidacy or face outright disqualification.

While the police maintain that the suspect is undergoing due legal process, Abdulai has publicly maintained his innocence and vowed to exhaust all lawful channels to clear his name. Civil society groups, child protection advocates, and student bodies across Ghana continue to closely monitor the development, demanding an expedited and transparent prosecution to ensure justice for the affected students.