A 47-year-old primary school teacher has appeared before the Bolgatanga Circuit Court facing two separate charges of defilement of children under sixteen years of age, in cases that have drawn significant attention to child safety in schools across the Upper East Region.
Robert Alalgpala, a teacher at a primary school in Bolgatanga, was charged under Section 101 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) of Ghana. He pleaded not guilty to both counts before His Honour Sumaila Mbache Ahmadu, Circuit Court Judge.
In the first case (Criminal Case No. UE/BG/CC/D6/07/2026), prosecutors allege that on or about March 2, 2026, the accused committed the offense against an 8-year-old female pupil on the school premises. Alalgpala is the survivor’s class teacher.
The pupil’s mother, residing at Durugu, a suburb of Bolgatanga, who gave an account of what her daughter had told her, said that on 2nd March, 2026, at about 13:30 hours, the survivor was in class when the suspect sent her on an errand to send the mathematics textbook to the school storeroom. The 8-year-old pupil, upon entering the storeroom to put the textbook down, was followed by the suspect who locked the door behind them. He pushed the victim to lie on the floor, and he had sexual intercourse with her. He then warned the victim not to disclose the incident to anybody or else he would kill her. On 5th March, 2026, the victim reported the incident to her mother and mentioned the suspect as the one who defiled her. On 9th March, 2026, the suspect was arrested, and upon interrogation, he admitted to the offense.
In the second case (Criminal Case No. UE/BG/CC/D6/06/2026), prosecutors allege that on or about March 4, 2026, the accused similarly offended against another 8-year-old female pupil, also a Class 3 student at the same school and under his direct care as class teacher.
According to the details of the case, on the stated day at about 13:30 hours, which was the second break period of the school, the victim was in her classroom doing her school assignment when the suspect called her to the school store room under the pretext of giving her a phonetic chart. Upon entering the storeroom, the suspect locked the door behind them and asked the survivor to put his penis into his mouth, after which the suspect had sexual intercourse with her.
Court documents available to Dreamz FM say Alalgpala then threatened the survivor with death if she told anyone. On the same day, the survivor returned home from school and could not sit down. This made the complainant, her mother, suspect foul play and, subsequently, conduct an interview of the survivor. Initially, the survivor was apprehensive and could not immediately disclose what had happened to her. However, the complainant persisted, and on the 6th of March, 2026, the survivor disclosed the incident to her mother and mentioned the suspect as the one who defiled her.
According to the prosecution, the suspect was arrested on March 9, 2026, following reports made by the families of the victims. Upon interrogation, prosecutors stated the accused admitted to the offenses. He was subsequently charged and arraigned before the court.
At the initial hearing on March 11, 2026, the prosecution indicated investigations were ongoing and prayed the court for a remand. Counsel for the accused, Victor Ayamga, applied for bail, citing that his client is a teacher with a fixed place of abode, is not a flight risk, and that continued detention would jeopardise his employment.
The court, presided over by His Honour Sumaila Mbache Ahmadu, declined the bail application at the first sitting, citing the seriousness of the case, and remanded the accused in police custody for one week.
At the second hearing on March 18, 2026, following the formal reading of charges and entry of the not-guilty pleas, the court revisited the bail question. The prosecution opposed bail, arguing that releasing the accused would allow him to return to the same environment as the alleged victims and could potentially compromise the case.
The court nonetheless admitted the accused to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000.00 with two sureties, one of whom must be a worker earning not less than GH¢3,000.00 per month. The court additionally ordered that the accused remain away from the alleged victims until further notice.
The prosecution was directed to file disclosures and witness statements and serve same on the accused or his legal counsel.
Both matters have been adjourned to June 5, 2026, for the commencement of prosecution witness testimony, beginning with the first prosecution witness (PW1) in each case. Inspector Duvor Boniface represents the Republic in both proceedings.
The Ghana Education Service has interdicted Robert Alalgpala. His interdiction takes effect from March 2026.
