The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, has denied allegations that he attempted to cover up alleged sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (Obuasi SHTS), insisting that his intervention was motivated by concern for the safety and welfare of female students.
Appearing before Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government and Rural Development, the mayor maintained that he has neither the authority nor the direct supervisory responsibility to shield the headmaster from disciplinary action.
He explained that his involvement stemmed from concerns brought to his attention about the alleged conduct of the headmaster, whom he said he had known for several years.
“I don’t know what I would have done to cover up because I’m not GES. I’m not police. I don’t have any direct supervising role on any teacher or any officer at Obuasi SecTech,” he told the committee.
Mr Ofori Agyemang Boadi said his connection to Obuasi goes beyond politics, citing his traditional ties to the area, his family background and his personal interests in the municipality.
He explained that he is a descendant of the Adansehene and had previously served as the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi, adding that he continues to visit the area regularly and maintained family and property ties there.
According to him, these connections informed his decision to intervene after concerns about the headmaster were brought to his attention.
Recounting the events that led to his engagement with the headmaster, Mr Ofori Agyemang Boadi said he invited him to his residence in Obuasi to discuss the allegations.
He said the headmaster denied the allegations during their initial conversation, but his responses did not satisfy him.
The mayor subsequently asked his constituency secretary, whom he identified as an English teacher at the school, to arrange a meeting with the senior housemistress to establish whether she has any information about the matter.
According to him, the senior housemistress travelled from Kofi Krom to Bidiem to meet him and discuss the concerns.
He told the committee that the housemistress disclosed that she had also confronted the headmaster over the allegations, which he said the headmaster had denied.
Mr Ofori Agyemang Boadi said he then urged the housemistress to ensure that female students were not allowed to visit the headmaster’s bungalow to perform any work.
“I said, ‘Madam, what I’m hearing, let us not aid the headmaster to be doing what he’s alleged to be doing. And so I’m begging you, make sure that you talk to your housemistress that they should not allow any female child to go and work in the headmaster’s bungalow. That’s all I did,’” he recounted.
He argued that the instruction was intended to prevent situations that could expose students to potential harm, rather than to protect the headmaster from accountability.
The mayor maintained that his actions were those of a concerned parent who wanted to ensure the safety of female students amid the allegations.
Mr Ofori Agyemang Boadi said his engagement with the headmaster did not end with their meeting in Obuasi.
He told the committee that after returning to Kumasi, he invited the headmaster to his office, where they had a further discussion lasting approximately 30 minutes.
During the meeting, he said, he admonished the headmaster and advised him against allowing female students to visit his bungalow, particularly given the concerns and perceptions surrounding his conduct.
According to the mayor, his objective was to ensure that the allegations do not become a reality and that the headmaster act in a manner that would not put students at risk.
He said the headmaster also made explanations during the meeting but maintained that his own intervention was limited to offering advice.
Mr Ofori Agyemang Boadi insisted that he has no authority over the headmaster’s employment or disciplinary proceedings and could not determine whether sanctions should be imposed.
“I don’t have any direct supervisor role on the headmaster. I don’t have anything to do with whether he was going to be sanctioned or not, so I cannot, with any shred of imagination, be covering him up,” he told the committee.
The mayor’s appearance before the parliamentary committee comes amid scrutiny of the handling of allegations of sexual abuse involving female students at Obuasi SHTS.
His testimony sought to distinguish his personal intervention from the formal responsibilities of education authorities and law enforcement agencies in investigating allegations and determining appropriate disciplinary or legal action.
By his account, he did not have direct supervisory authority over the headmaster and did not have the power to decide whether he should face sanctions.
He maintained that his intervention was intended to discourage conduct that could place female students at risk and to address concerns raised about the headmaster.
However, the questions surrounding the handling of the allegations remain important to establishing whether the concerns were appropriately reported to the relevant authorities, whether the necessary investigations were conducted and whether adequate safeguards were put in place to protect students.
The mayor’s explanation represents his account of the events. His testimony, by itself, does not establish whether the underlying allegations against the headmaster are true or whether the response by the relevant authorities is adequate.
The parliamentary committee’s examination of the matter is expected to help clarify the roles played by the individuals involved and the institutional processes followed in responding to the allegations.
By 1960news.com
