The Headmistress of Islamic Girls Senior High School, Safia Salifu, has told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) how a former staff member sold his cow to refund a wrongfully paid salary after she invited the police to intervene in the matter.

The issue emerged during the proceedings of the committee when members sought clarification on steps taken to retrieve unearned salaries involving two former staff members of the school.

Responding to questions from the committee, the headmistress explained that Eric Nyarko, a former kitchen staff member, had resigned from the school, but his salary was mistakenly paid into his account despite efforts to stop the payment.

According to her, she had declined to validate his salary for that particular month and had also written to the bank to place an embargo on the payment. However, the bank allegedly failed to act in time, resulting in the salary being processed into his account.

She told the committee that after contacting him, he returned to the school but allegedly refused to refund the money, arguing that he had worked for the government for more than five years without receiving salary payments during that period.

The headmistress indicated that the former employee insisted he would not refund the money unless the government first settled the salary arrears he claimed were owed to him from his early years of service.

She, however, maintained before the committee that there were established procedures for addressing salary grievances and argued that the former employee could not justify keeping money he was not entitled to after leaving the institution.

According to her account, she subsequently contacted the police commander to intervene in the matter, leading to the recovery of the money after the former staff member allegedly sold his cow to make the payment.

The headmistress also addressed the case involving Emmanuel Obiri, a former teacher who allegedly continued to receive salary payments after leaving the school.

She explained that the teacher had remained around the school after vacations to complete academic reports and related duties, creating the impression that he was still actively at his post during the validation period for salaries.

According to her, he had completed the marking of examination scripts and submitted reports in September after the school vacated in August, which informed the decision to validate his salary for that period.

However, when the school resumed in October, and he failed to report back, further checks allegedly revealed that he had already left before reopening.

The headmistress told the committee that while the former teacher legitimately deserved payment for August because he had worked up to August 24, he was not entitled to the September salary he received.

She explained that she instructed the school accountant to trace him, eventually leading them to his father-in-law, through whom contact was established.

According to her, the former teacher later admitted that the money was in his account abroad and initially claimed he could not access it to make repayment.

The headmistress, however, stated that she eventually managed to retrieve the funds through what she described as her own efforts and persistence.

During the hearing, committee members and observers reacted to the dramatic narration, with references also made to the nickname “Woman King," which she disclosed had been given to her by students due to her strict leadership style.

The proceedings further sparked discussions on whether public sector employees who receive unearned salaries are required to refund the gross amount or only the net salary received after deductions.