The interdicted headmaster of the Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, has sued JoyNews investigative correspondent, Manasseh Azure Awuni and the Multimedia Group Ghana Limited (MGL) over allegations of sexual abuse involving female students in the school.
Mr Azure is the 1st defendant, while MGL is the second. The plaintiff is seeking a declaration that the statements made and or/published about him by the defendants are false, defamatory and malicious.
He’s also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from making, writing or any other way publishing any further defamatory statements about him.
He’s also seeking GHS2 million for the defamation and other general damages.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, October 22, Mr Azure said the case was his 12th defamation suit since 2015.
“That is defamation suit number 12 since 2015, and I think my lawyers will handle that,” he said.
Manasseh Azure’s investigative piece titled Inside The Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow exposed cases of alleged rape involving the headmaster, leading to his interdiction by the Ghana Education Service amid ongoing investigations.
Following the investigation, the Headmaster, who also served as Juaben Constituency Secretary for the National Democratic Congress and was seeking to contest for Constituency Chairman, withdrew from the race under pressure from his party.
It emerged from the report that some of the alleged sexual cases had been reported to the Police, but investigations were either slow or had stalled.
The report also revealed that some teachers, education authorities and political heads had failed to fulfil responsibilities expected of them, resulting in pressure and victimisation against staff members seeking justice for the affected girls.
He specifically mentioned the school’s focal person and girl-child coordinator, as well as others 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.
Meanwhile, the Police Criminal Investigations Department has confirmed that the docket on the case had been forwarded to the Attorney General for advice.