Ex‑Boarding School Headmaster Detained After BBC Investigation into Student Abuse

The former headmaster of an Islamic boarding school on Lombok island, Indonesia, has been taken into custody by police after a BBC Eye investigation revealed documented allegations of sexual abuse against students.

Ahmad Imanuddin Sumar, who was affectionately called Abah by his students, led the Abul Barokat boarding school until his resignation earlier this year.

The BBC report, released via the World Service, detailed how former pupils—most notably a pair of “student detectives” named Ziadatur Rahmah (Zia) and Sukma Rohana Fajar—sought evidence after Zia disclosed that a 17‑year‑old classmate had been sexually assaulted by Abah. Strikingly, Zia had been studying in Cairo while Sukma was in Jakarta; together they eventually moved to Jakarta to conduct a private inquiry into the allegations.

Their investigation culminated in a seven‑page dossier that was presented to representatives of Nahdlatul Wathan Diniyah Islamiyah (NWDI), the organisation that ran the school. Rather than support the students, the organisation reportedly pressured the pair to withdraw their accusations. In a secretly recorded call, Abah pleaded with Zia to safeguard his reputation, followed by a recording of him apologising yet insisting he was not confessing the abuse.

Following the BBC exposure, Abah held a press conference denying the accusations while conceding that the recordings were not confessions. He has since stepped down from the school and expressed willingness to cooperate with the legal process.

The investigation widened the scope of the case: within 24 hours, 12 additional former students came forward, sharing their experiences of sexual abuse. Police subsequently interviewed Zia, Sukma and the other witnesses, and NWDI denied any cover‑up, stating it was conducting an internal inquiry and pledging to prevent future abuse.

Parents, some coming from other islands, reportedly walked into the school to retrieve their children, many reacting with shock and distress upon learning of the allegations. One mother expressed her intent to move her child out of the school immediately.

The case has sparked a broader conversation about sexual violence within Indonesian boarding schools and the mechanisms for protecting vulnerable students.

For full details, refer to the BBC Eye piece on this story and the documentary series "Catching My Teacher" which explores similar cases.