Thursday, 22 October

Obuasi SHTS headmaster sues Manasseh Azure, Multimedia Group over sexual abuse reports

Crime
Manasseh Azure Awuni

The interdicted headmaster of Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), Zakaria Abdulai, has sued investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and the Multimedia Group Ghana Limited (MGL) over reports alleging sexual abuse involving female students at the school.

Mr Azure is the first defendant, while MGL is the second defendant.

Mr Abdulai is seeking a declaration that statements made or published about him by the defendants are false, defamatory and malicious.

He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from making, writing or publishing further statements he considers defamatory.

The plaintiff is further 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 said the lawsuit was the 12th defamation suit brought against him since 2015.

“That is defamation suit number 12 since 2015, and I think my lawyers will handle that,” he said.

The lawsuit follows Mr Azure’s investigative report titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which detailed allegations of sexual abuse involving female students at the school.

The report prompted public scrutiny of the allegations and led to the interdiction of Mr Abdulai by the Ghana Education Service (GES) pending investigations.

The report indicated that some of the alleged cases had previously been reported to the police, but investigations had allegedly been slow or had stalled.

Mr Abdulai, who also served as Juaben Constituency Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had been seeking to contest for Constituency Chairman but subsequently withdrew from the race under pressure from his party.

Meanwhile, the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has confirmed that the docket on the case has been forwarded to the Attorney-General for advice.

The allegations against Mr Abdulai remain subject to ongoing investigative and legal processes.

Source: classfmonline.com