Rashid Anaata, a well-known beautician and wedding decorator in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region, has been arrested and is currently undergoing prosecution for the defilement of more than thirty girls in the area.

Most of the girls, aged between 10 and 13, shared similar accounts of how Anaata lured them into his room and forcibly assaulted them.

When three of the victims exposed the alleged pedophile in a viral social media video in May of this year, he went into hiding. Despite police efforts to locate him, he remained elusive. However, last week, the police, acting on a tip, successfully apprehended him in his hideout in the Upper West Region.

Anaata has been brought before the court and charged with defiling 12 children, who have undergone medical examination and are prepared to testify. The remaining 30 girls have not yet joined the prosecution, according to the State Attorney overseeing the case.

Anaata had initially been reported to the police for defiling a schoolgirl in 2016. However, the case was later dropped due to pressure on the victim's mother.

In May 2023, Mr. Eliasu Baba Yussif, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bahass Foundation, reported him to the police again for the defilement of three girls. Although the police responded promptly, Anaata had already disappeared by that time.