Zakaria Abdulai seeks damages and an injunction over JoyNews’ investigative report on alleged sexual abuse involving female students.
The interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, has sued JoyNews investigative correspondent Manasseh Azure Awuni and Multimedia Group Ghana Limited (MGL) over allegations of sexual abuse involving female students at the school.
In the suit, Mr Abdulai is seeking a declaration that statements made or published about him by the defendants are false, defamatory and malicious.
He is also asking the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from making, writing or publishing further allegedly defamatory statements about him.
Additionally, the plaintiff is seeking GH¢2 million in damages for defamation and other general damages.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, October 22, Mr Azure disclosed that the lawsuit was his 12th defamation case since 2015.
“That is defamation suit number 12 since 2015, and I think my lawyers will handle that,” he said.
Mr Azure is listed as the first defendant, while Multimedia Group Ghana Limited is the second defendant.
Investigative report led to headmaster’s interdiction
The lawsuit follows Mr Azure’s investigative report, titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which exposed allegations of rape and other sexual misconduct involving the headmaster and female students.
The revelations prompted the Ghana Education Service (GES) to interdict Mr Abdulai as investigations into the allegations continued.
Following the publication, Mr Abdulai, who also served as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency secretary for Juaben, withdrew from the race to contest for constituency chairman amid pressure from within the party.
The investigation also revealed that some of the alleged sexual abuse cases had been reported to the police, but investigations were either progressing slowly or had stalled.
The report further raised concerns about the conduct of some teachers, education authorities and political figures, alleging that they had failed to fulfil their responsibilities towards the affected students.
According to the investigation, staff members seeking justice for the girls faced pressure and victimisation.
Concerns over pressure on school staff
Mr Azure specifically highlighted the experiences of the school’s focal person, the girl-child coordinator and other staff members who, he said, were determined to pursue justice for the students.
“There were things they were supposed to do that they didn’t do, and because of that there was a lot of pressure and victimisation against the focal person, the girl-child coordinator and those who were bent on getting justice for these girls,” he said.
The allegations formed part of the wider concerns raised in the investigative report about the handling of sexual abuse complaints and the protection of students within the school.
Police investigation referred to Attorney General
Meanwhile, the Police Criminal Investigations Department has confirmed that the docket on the case has been forwarded to the Attorney General for advice.
The legal action by Mr Abdulai introduces a separate court battle over the publication of the investigative report, while the underlying allegations remain subject to the relevant investigative and legal processes.
The claims of defamation and the allegations of sexual abuse have not been established by the filing of the lawsuit alone. The court is yet to determine the merits of the plaintiff’s claims against Mr Azure and Multimedia Group Ghana Limited.
