Ahmad Isah, a human
rights campaigner known for helping ordinary people get justice via his radio
and television shows, has come under scrutiny in a new BBC Africa Eye
documentary.
Isah, popularly known as ordinary president, hosts a
programme titled: “Berekete Family” which is aired on Human Rights Radio 101.1
in Abuja and streams online via social media platforms.
The programme offers ordinary citizens the opportunity to
tell their stories bordering on injustice they have experienced.
The latest BBC documentary carried out by Peter Nkanga, a journalist, x-rays the programme and how Isah uses it to help ordinary citizens to get justice; he also helps solicit funds for victims when necessary.
In the 26-minute documentary, a crowd of people are seen
waiting for the activist in the studio.
Stories from victims cut across injustice suffered in the
hands of fellow citizens, including politicians and law enforcement agencies.
Although the impact of Isah’s ‘Berekete’ family programme is
commendable as it helps many ordinary people, his methods appear controversial.
In the documentary, the activist is seen slapping a lady,
who was accused of setting her brother’s daughter on fire over an allegation
that the girl is a witch.
Prior to the scene when the suspect appears on the
programme, the activist is seen listening to the story from the girl’s mother
and another third party.
Thereafter, Isah places a telephone call to a top police
officer in Abuja and asks that security agents be directed to arrest the
suspect.
When the lady is arrested, she is brought to the programme
for questioning.
However, while the human rights campaigner is questioning
the lady who allegedly committed the crime, Isah slaps her more than three
times as seen in the documentary.
The series of slaps come when the lady is reluctant to
answer the question about where she got the information that the girl is a
witch.
Meanwhile, he had earlier crowdsourced the sum of N2 million
for the treatment of the girl in the hospital.
In his remarks, Anthony Ojukwu, executive secretary of
National Human Rights Commission, says the programme does not “follow
international standards for handling complaints of human rights violations”.
Ojukwu notes that those accused during the programme for
human rights violations are not given the right of fair hearing and that the
rules of confidentiality are breached.
When the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was
presented with the findings of the documentary, it said that it had received
“high number of complaints” about the conduct of the station and that it
frequently violates ethical standards.
The journalist who carried out the documentary said Isah did
not respond to his findings.
You can watch the documentary here.
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