Obuasi SHTS scandal: There was a BNI report over a year ago; victims wouldn’t have hit 19 if action had been taken – Lawyer

Lawyer Isaac Ofori Mensah, representing two alleged victims from the sexual abuse scandal at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), stated that the number of reported victims could have been less if the authorities had acted on earlier reports. He pointed out that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) had produced a report on the matter over a year ago, prompting questions about why no effective action was taken.

According to Mensah, speaking on Adom FM's Dwaso Nsem, the failure to address the concerns promptly may have allowed the alleged abuse to continue, leading to more victims coming forward. The lawyer alleged that the investigation was motivated by the fact that a niece of a BNI official became a victim, raising concerns about the genuineness of the probe.

He urged authorities to investigate who received the BNI report, who was supposed to act on it, and whether anyone neglected the findings. Mensah described the case as sensitive and cautioned that without a thorough and impartial investigation, efforts to secure justice for the victims could be in vain. He also questioned the differing speeds at which cases related to the allegations were being dealt with, noting that while some teachers and students had been arrested, the headmaster's case had been forwarded to the Attorney-General for review.

Mensah defended the arrested teachers, stating that some had gone to the police station to lodge complaints and give statements before returning to the school. He expressed concern over the unfair treatment of the teachers and warned against allowing the case's public attention to wane without meaningful action. The lawyer also alleged that individuals connected to the headmaster were attempting to sway people to withdraw their complaints, going as far as visiting one individual's farm to try to drop the matter.