How watchmen lured autistic Bolgatanga Girls’ SHS student with food, phone charging to sexually assault her

Police have arrested the two watchmen who reportedly sexually abused a 14-year-old autistic student of the Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS), a public school in Ghana’s Upper East Region.

The abuse was allegedly perpetrated on the campus of the premier boarding school, known as the “Lily of the North”.

The Upper East Regional Police Command has identified the suspects as Adams Nyaaba Iddrisu, 72, and Elvis Adongo, 38.

They were arrested on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, a few hours after Media Without Borders broke the story.

The Regional Police Command says the suspects are in custody and are being processed for court. They are expected to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday 20 August 2026, in Bolgatanga, the regional capital.

According to school sources, the two security guards sexually abused the girl multiple times at different locations on the campus.

The alleged incidents occurred behind the school’s dining hall and at the security duty post at the main gate, which faces the highway linking Ghana to Burkina Faso.

How the alleged abuse occurred

Sources at the school told Media Without Borders that the first incident occurred in the last week of June 2026, shortly after supervised evening studies, known as prep, had ended.

According to the sources, the girl was returning to her dormitory when one of the guards allegedly lured her to an isolated area behind the dining hall with a promise of food and sexually abused her there. The watchman was on night patrol at the time.

A few days later, the second guard allegedly abused her at dawn inside the security post at the school’s main gate. The girl had reportedly gone to the post at that hour to pick up her tablet, which she had left with the watchman overnight to charge.

Sources said each guard allegedly abused her a second time in early July, bringing the total number of alleged incidents to four.

Tablet charging levy and its link to the case

School sources link the incident partly to challenges with charging tablets distributed under the government’s one-student-one-tablet programme.

The sources said management collected Gh¢100 (today’s equivalent of 8.99 U.S dollars; 7.74 euros) from each parent for a screen protector and Gh¢30 (2.70 U.S. dollars; 2.32 euros) per parent for a charging board to be installed in each classroom, but failed to provide enough charging points.

The situation, they said, forced students to charge their devices at unauthorized places, including the security post.

Headmistress confirms levies, cites internal arrangement

When contacted, the headmistress, Gifty Ayamba, confirmed the matter had been reported to the Municipal and Regional Education Directorates and to the police.

On the charging issue, she said the school barred students from teachers’ bungalows and restricted access to staff offices after working hours, which put pressure on available charging points and led to reports of missing power banks.

She said an electrician quoted about Gh¢1,800 (161.79 U.S. dollars; 139.41 euros) per classroom for a charging board, shared at Gh¢30 per student on a voluntary basis. Charging boards, she said, have been installed in classes that completed payment, adding that the arrangement was the school’s own initiative, not a Ghana Education Service (GES) directive.

On the abuse case, she said the girl first reported one guard to the Dean of Discipline and later mentioned a second guard. She said both men admitted to the act before the school’s disciplinary committee.

The school was established in 1956.

She said although the GES code of conduct provides for dismissal in such cases, the committee recommended converting the student from boarding to day status, considering that the men had allegedly lured her with food and money and taken advantage of her vulnerability. She added that the day-student status would also ensure the girl took her prescribed medication consistently.

Family cries foul over school’s handling

The student involved has autism, a developmental condition that affects how a person interacts with their environment.

After referring the guards to the Bolgatanga Municipal Education Directorate, management withdrew the girl’s boarding status.

Her mother declined to comment when Media Without Borders contacted the family, saying she was too distressed. A family member, Akolbulgo-Zotipelba Ayeo-Duko, confirmed the incident but accused the school of unfair treatment.

The family describes her condition as moderate autism and says staying in school is vital for her growth. They believe being in class every day, learning and interacting with her peers, is the best way for her to develop social skills and feel included.

The family also expressed concern over a letter from the school in July which described the minor as “guilty of sexual misconduct” under the GES code.

“GES is now doing integration; every child can go to any school,” said Ayeo-Duko. “Children with special needs no longer need to isolate themselves and be in any special school.”

“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,” he added.

On Sunday, August 16, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) told Media Without Borders the case had been reported and said efforts were underway to arrest the guards.