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Otiko Djaba Urges Vice-President to Visit Obuasi SHTS Sexual Abuse Victims
Former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisah Djaba has urged Vice-President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to visit students allegedly sexually abused at Obuasi Senior High Technical School. Ms Djaba made the call in an interview with JoyNews on October 23, 2026. She said calls for the law to take its course are not enough to address the immediate needs of the affected students. Furthermore, she questioned what concrete steps the Vice-President was taking to protect the girls while investigations continued.
Djaba Says Vice-President Must Lead by Example on Women and Children’s Issues
Ms Djaba said the Vice-President’s earlier statement describing the allegations as a serious national concern and calling for the law to take its course fell short of what the moment required. She said the country’s first female Vice-President had an opportunity to demonstrate real leadership on matters affecting women and children. Moreover, she stressed that her appeal was not about restricting the Vice-President’s responsibilities to gender issues. She said the significance of holding the country’s second-highest political office must reflect in action. Therefore, she called on Prof Opoku-Agyemang to visit the school and engage directly with the affected students to ensure they receive the support and protection they need.
Earlier Inaction Allowed Situation to Worsen — Djaba
Ms Djaba argued that a failure to act decisively as far back as April 2025 allowed the situation to worsen. She said the number of alleged victims had since reached 19. Moreover, she said an earlier intervention by the Vice-President could have prevented other students from being allegedly assaulted. “If this thing had been addressed in April of 2025, do you think we would be talking about 19 girls?” she asked. She added that the law and the system had failed the affected students. As a result, she called for urgent and visible action from the country’s top leadership to demonstrate that protecting children takes priority.
Djaba Criticises President Mahama’s Public Silence on the Matter
Ms Djaba also criticised what she described as an inadequate public response from President John Mahama. She urged him to speak clearly on the allegations and show that protecting children and upholding the law take precedence over political considerations. She noted that the person at the centre of the allegations was a member of the governing National Democratic Congress. However, she said political affiliation must not prevent the President from addressing the matter. “If you spoke, I don’t think the police and these other institutions would be dilly-dallying and fooling around,” she said. In addition, she said the President had a duty as the father of the nation to stand firmly on the side of the affected children.