Two teachers accused of aiding an attack at Obuasi Senior High Technical School have been granted bail of GHC500,000 each after pleading not guilty to charges of abetment.

Kwasi Brefo, 41, also known as “Allah”, and Appiah Arthur Joseph, 34, also known as “Nana Appiah”, appeared before the Obuasi Circuit Court 2 on Monday (17 August), for their second appearance.

The court, presided over by Eric Danning, granted each of the accused bail with two sureties, one of whom must justify the surety with landed property.

The judge also ordered the two teachers to report to the police twice every week as part of their bail conditions.

The case was adjourned to 27 August for further directions.

The two teachers were initially remanded after they were arrested over their alleged involvement in the 4 August attack at the school, during which headmaster Abdulai Zakari was injured.

They face two counts of abetment under Ghana’s Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) — abetment to cause harm and abetment to cause unlawful damage.

Prosecutors allege that the accused aided and abetted Owusu and others to attack the headmaster with cutlasses and sticks and also assisted others to damage school property.

The alleged value of the damage has not been determined.

The headmaster was initially treated at the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital before being transferred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi for specialist care.

The incident prompted the Obuasi Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) to order the immediate and indefinite closure of the school.

Authorities have said the school will remain closed until security assessments are completed and the campus is considered safe for academic activities.

The Municipal Chief Executive, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, had earlier urged the public to disregard unverified accounts about the incident, saying the police investigation would determine the circumstances that led to the violence.

Police had earlier arrested six students in connection with the attack, but no additional information was provided in court on Monday about the status of those students.

Other suspects linked to the incident are also said to be at large.

The allegations against the two teachers have not been tested in court. They are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.