‘It’s better to have defended a liar than rapist’ – Sister Derby wades into Obuasi SHTS saga

Songstress Sister Derby has weighed into the controversy surrounding allegations of sexual abuse at Obuasi Senior High Technical School (SHTS), criticizing people she believes are more concerned about defending the accused than protecting alleged victims.

In a strongly worded social media post, the musician challenged those insisting that the school’s headmaster should only be judged after a court has determined his guilt, arguing that such arguments risk dismissing the concerns of alleged victims.

“To anyone saying the headmaster is only guilty when/if proven in court: Aside from the fact that I think you low-key don’t care about young boys, young girls or women, you’re also very dumb for defending someone who’s been accused of rape multiple times,” she wrote.

Sister Derby, known for her outspoken views on social issues, maintained that people should be careful about the positions they take when allegations of sexual violence emerge.

She also expressed anger at people she accused of protecting alleged sexual predators, and those who try to silence advocates from speaking out against abuse.

To those questioning the fate of the alleged victims should the accusations turn out to be false, Sister Derby opined that “it’s better to have defended a liar than to have defended a rapist!”

In her opinion, the collective fight is about sexual assault as a whole, irrespective of gender, as she called out Ghanaians not to lose the plot.

“The most stupid people (usually the victim-blamers) are the ones who will come under your comment on social media angry that you’re calling out a rape defender like them or a rapist and be fighting you that, you didn’t do a video talking about it. But they won’t go at the fokn predators!” she stated.

Given some unwarranted commentaries on the recent Obuasi SHTS saga, Sister Derby strongly believes Ghana has a pedophilia and sexual predatory issue.

The controversy involves Zakaria Abdulai, headmaster of Obuasi SHTS in the Ashanti Region, who has been interdicted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) following allegations of sexual misconduct involving female students.

The matter gained renewed national attention following an investigative documentary by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, titled Inside the Dreaded Headmaster’s Bungalow, which examined allegations of sexual harassment, assault and rape involving about 19 students at the school.

The allegations have prompted questions about the safety of students, the handling of earlier complaints and the responsibility of school and education authorities to protect those in their care.

The case has also attracted scrutiny following reports that concerns had been raised with education authorities before the allegations became a major national issue.