Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has disclosed that the number of students who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse involving the suspended headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School has risen from 16 to 19.
According to Manasseh Azure, three additional students had reportedly come forward.
Speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe on Sunday, October 18, Manasseh Azure stated, “From yesterday, my sources at the school told me the number has grown to 19. So way more names have come up, and it is likely there will be more, because some didn’t give a report”.
It will be recalled that on Thursday, October 15, Manasseh Azure, speaking on Joy FM Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, said the initial information he received concerned five students; however, the number increased to 14 when he visited the school to investigate.
“I’ve been to Obuasi twice. First in 2018, and this is my second time visiting Obuasi. The first visit was about allegations of sexual assault in the same school,” he said.
Manasseh explained that after returning from studies abroad, he received a message from a source at the school indicating that the situation had worsened.
Meanwhile, the case involving the Headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, popularly known as Paapaa, has taken a new turn after the case docket was forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Office for study and advice.
The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ashanti South Regional Police Command in Bekwai has forwarded the case docket to the Attorney-General’s Office for study and advice.
The police disclosed that a 20-year-old Form Two student of the school, accompanied by her father, lodged a complaint at the Obuasi DOVVSU on August 4, 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, October 16, the police said the student alleged that the headmaster forcibly had sexual intercourse with her at his official residence on the school’s campus.
According to the Police, the girl had gone to an area near the headmaster’s official residence where students dry their clothes to retrieve her dresses when he allegedly lured her into the residence to run an errand for him.
The Police disclosed that upon entering the residence, the suspect allegedly began caressing and fondling her against her will while she was seated on a sofa.
Also, the student alleged that when she resisted his advances, he dragged her into his bedroom and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her, adding that the headmaster subsequently gave her GH¢100 to keep the incident secret.
According to the police, investigations were immediately initiated following the complaint.
The DOVVSU disclosed that the necessary investigative procedures, including a medical examination, reconstruction of the scene, photography and the collection of witness statements, had been completed.
“The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ashanti South Region, Bekwai, has forwarded the case docket on the investigation into the alleged rape case by the Headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Mr Zakaria Abdulai, alias Paapaa, to the Attorney-General’s office for study and advice,” the statement said.
The development follows Manasseh Azure’s investigation into allegations that 14 female students of Obuasi Senior High Technical School were sexually abused by the school’s headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai.
Also, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has ordered the headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, Zakaria Abdulai, to withdraw from the Juaben constituency chairmanship race or risk disqualification.
According to Manasseh Azure Awuni, whose exposé led to the interdiction of Zakaria Abdulai, the NDC has ordered the headmaster to withdraw from the election.
In a Facebook post on October 18, 2026, Manasseh wrote, “The NDC has ordered the Obuasi SHTS headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, to withdraw from the Juaben chairmanship race or be disqualified”.
Also, the NDC’s Deputy National Communications Director, Julius Kwame Anthony, has confirmed the development.
“The party has directed: withdraw your attempts to contest for the chairmanship or be disqualified. That is the party’s position, well communicated to the headmaster,” he said.
“Our rationale is simple: this person is currently being investigated by law enforcement agencies who essentially report to our government,” he explained.
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