A former headmaster of the Abul Barokat Islamic boarding school on Lombok island has been detained by police after a BBC Eye investigation revealed a series of sexual abuse allegations against him. Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, who students called Abah, led the school for years before the allegations surfaced.
The BBC World Service report documented how former students, including Ziadatur Rahmah (Zia) and Sukma Rohana Fajar, gathered evidence after Zia told a classmate that Abah had sexually assaulted her at 17. The pair, now in Cairo and Jakarta respectively, compiled a seven‑page document of accusations and presented it to Nahdlatul Wathan Diniyah Islamiyah (NWDI), the organisation that ran the school.
Instead of supporting the students, NWDI allegedly pressured them to withdraw their claims. A secretly recorded phone call shows Abah pleading with a student to protect his reputation, while another recording shows him apologising but urging silence. Abah later denied the allegations in a news conference, claiming the recordings were not confessions.
Police interviewed Zia, Sukma and twelve other former students who came forward after the BBC story. The investigation has prompted parents to demand their children leave the school, with some travelling from other islands to do so.
NWDI has denied covering up the allegations and said it is conducting an internal inquiry. Abah has resigned and stated he will respect the legal process. The case has sparked public outrage and highlighted the need for safeguarding measures in boarding schools.
