Two security men of Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS) who reportedly sexually abused a 14-year-old student with autism on campus have been remanded into police custody.
The accused, Adams Nyaaba Iddrisu, 72, and Elvis Adongo, 38, were arraigned before the Circuit Court in Bolgatanga, capital of Ghana’s Upper East Region, on Thursday, 20 August 2026.
Presided over by His Honour Sumaila Mbache Ahmadu, the court did not take their pleas and ordered that they be held in police custody to reappear on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.
The first accused was represented by Richard Adazabra as counsel, while the second accused had no legal representation. The case is being prosecuted by Inspector Baliki Amidu Issaka.
How the alleged abuse occurred
The alleged sexual abuse is said to have begun in the last week of June 2026, shortly after evening prep.
According to sources who spoke to Media Without Borders, the student was on her way to her dormitory when a watchman on night duty allegedly lured her behind the dining hall with the promise of food and had sexual intercourse with her.
A few days later, at dawn, she reportedly went to the security post at the school’s main gate to retrieve her tablet which she had left overnight for charging, and the watchman on duty there allegedly had sex with her.
Each of the two guards is alleged to have abused her again in early July, bringing the total number of incidents to four.
Second alleged abuse linked to struggles to charge tablets
Sources link the case in part to difficulties students face charging tablets supplied under the government’s One-Student, One-Tablet initiative.
The school’s management reportedly collected Gh¢100 (USD 8.99; 7.6 euros) from each parent for a screen protector and an additional Gh¢30 (USD 2.70; 2.31 euros) per parent to install a charging board in every classroom.
However, the boards provided are said to be inadequate, forcing students to seek alternative places to charge their devices, including at the security post.
Comment from school management
The headmistress, Gifty Ayamba, confirmed that she reported the matter to the Bolgatanga Municipal and Upper East Regional Directorates of Education, as well as to the police.
On the levies, she said students were barred from charging their devices at teachers’ bungalows and that staff offices remain locked after working hours.
That situation, she explained, put pressure on the few available charging points and led to complaints about stolen power banks.
She said an electrician quoted Gh¢1,800 (USD 161.80; 138.32 euros) per classroom to install a charging board, which was divided into Gh¢30 per student and paid voluntarily.
She said charging boards have been installed only in classrooms where parents have completed payment, stressing that it was an internal arrangement and not a directive from the Ghana Education Service (GES).
On the defilement allegation, she said the student initially reported one guard to the Dean of Discipline and later cited a second. According to her, both men confessed before the school’s disciplinary committee.
She noted that while the GES code provided for the dismissal of students involved in sexual activity, the committee instead recommended changing the victim’s status from boarding to day student, on the grounds that she was lured with food and money and her vulnerability was exploited. She added that as a day student, the girl would be able to take her medication regularly.
Family speaks
Following the referral of the two watchmen to the Municipal Education Directorate, the school changed the girl’s status from boarding to day student.
Her mother said she was too traumatised to speak to the press. A relative, Akolbulgo-Zotipelba Ayeo-Duko, who spoke on behalf of the family, confirmed the abuse and told Media Without Borders that the school treated the girl unfairly.
The family says she has moderate autism and that staying in school is crucial to her development. They believe daily classroom learning and interaction with her peers are essential to building her social skills and helping her feel included.
The family also takes issue with a letter from the school in July that branded the minor “guilty of sexual misconduct” under the GES code.
“GES is now doing integration; every child can go to any school. Children with special needs no longer need to isolate themselves and be in any special school,” Ayeo-Duko said.
Continuing, he added: “It is hurting for an institution to treat a 14-year-old child this way because they think she thinks differently or is behaving differently due to her medical condition.
“Children commit suicide because of such unfair treatment. It’s wrong. Clearly, these watchmen took unlawful advantage of her medical condition.”
The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) told Media Without Borders on Sunday, August 16, that the case had been reported and that moves were underway to arrest the two guards.
The police arrested the two watchmen on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, and put them before the Circuit Court in Bolgatanga on Thursday.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana/West Africa
