Ahmad Isah of Brekete Family is under severe criticism for hitting a woman during an interview covered by the BBC.
The rights activist, aka Ordinary President hosts a programme on Human Rights Radio 101.1 in Abuja, Nigeriaโs capital.
Isah became famous for using his platform to help citizens air their stories on injustice.
A trending BBC Africa Eye documentary by Peter Nkanga, a journalist, captured Isahโs assault.
The woman was accused of setting her brotherโs daughter on fire for alleged witchcraft.
The suspect reportedly tied the victimโs hand and legs, poured kerosene on her head and ignited fire.
Isah asked how she confirmed the girl was a witch. โNobodyโฆI donโt know what came over me. Please, Iโm begging for forgiveness.โ
โTell me what happened, Iโll give you one last chanceโ, Isah commanded. โI donโt know what happenedโ, the woman replied.
Isah, within a few seconds, lost his cool and slapped her. โItโs a form of mob justiceโ, Nkanga protested.
Nigerians on Twitter are condemning the action and accusing the Brekete anchor of taking laws into his hands.
Lilian Ogazi wrote: โAbsolutely nothing justifies this! The height of unprofessionalism on all levels! A slap! I wonder how many of these we donโt seeโฆ.. Human rights!โฆ Thatโs raw assault on tape. And Its wrong. Letโs say the truth!
โHe has absolutely no right or authority to lay his hands on her. He assaulted her and has committed a crime, and did so on camera for us to see? This is beyond messiah complex. This is anti human rightsโ, Jake Okechukwu Effoduh tweeted.
Isah, via his handle @breketeconnect, seemingly reacted to the backlash. โMy God has made me bigger than the sponsors of my detractorsโ, he posted.
- Daily Post
