Suspended Obuasi Headmaster Sues Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and Multimedia Group for Defamation

Zakaria Abdulai, the suspended headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School, has filed a defamation lawsuit against investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and Multimedia Group, the parent company of JoyNews.

Abdulai is accused of sexually abusing at least 19 girls. He denies the allegations, which have not been proven in court.

In the suit, Abdulai claims the reports published about him were false and damaged his reputation.

He is seeking about US$172,000 in damages, additional compensation, and a court order stopping further allegedly defamatory reporting.

The allegations drew national attention after Awuni's documentary, "Inside the Dreaded Headmaster's Bungalow."

Meanwhile, Ghana's parliamentary Human Rights Committee has called for faster investigations and for protection for the students involved.

Police have sent a case file on one student's sexual abuse complaint to the Attorney-General for legal advice.

Authorities say Abdulai remains suspended and has not been cleared. The allegations against him have not been proven in court, and the defamation suit has yet to be heard.

The case raises wider questions in Ghana about protecting alleged victims in schools, the pace of investigations, and the pressure that legal action can place on investigative journalism.

Mustapha Bature Sallama