A Kano-based politician and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barr Ismael Buba Ahmed has been dragged to the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) for denying the paternity of a child.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, who was formerly of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) however denied the accusation, saying it was not true.
Ahmed stands accused for violating United Nations Charter on Human Rights and the Child Rights Act, 2003 of the Nigerian constitution (as amended).
The petitioner, Anisa Danbatta said the paternity of the child was not in doubt but that Ahmed abandoned the child.
The petition reads in part: “I Ms Danbatta, a single mother of a 1 year old child, seeks through this petition to your commission, a redress of a breach of my human rights under the UNCHR, the CRA, 2003 and chapter 2 of the 1999 constitution as amended by the National Assembly.
“I Ms Danbatta through this petition, seek to inform the commission about Barr. Ismaeel Buba Amhed, who is the father my child, but has since absconded from his duties as a father, leaving me a hapless single mother of his child without care and necessary care under the above statutes and constitution of the country to the care of a father.
“The victim of this neglect, I Ms Danbatta and my hapless and unprotected child, have been under the excruciating yoke of neglect and lack decent care for ourselves arising from this neglect by the culprit and father of the child, Mr. Buba Ahmed.
“Mr. Buba Ahmed’s paternity of the said child and knowledge of the mother are not in doubt, but several efforts to make him take responsibility as a father have proved abortive, hence our resort to the commission”.
While pleading for the Commission’s intervention, Dambatta noted that other women and children in similar situation would be hopeful of justice should her case be favorably treated.
Accordion to her, the future of the country’s political and economic future would have been assured, “Your important office is aware of the strain of unprotected children to the society and the danger, security and political Wise, these unfortunate children can be to the society, should your office and other institutions charged with the responsibility of addressing this problem give a blind eye to their neglect.
“Our noble aspirations to grow our nascent democracy to an enviable and sustainable level could only be achieved when we get our foundations right and the key foundation to a solid democracy would be to provide the above rights of families or specifically the child and parents and in this case, a young mother and her child that risk being a menace to a society still undergoing a transition to solid a democracy”.
However, in his reaction to the petition, Ahmed who spoke with our reporter on the telephone yesterday denied the accusation.
He told our reporter that, he was yet to be contacted by the NHRC, saying, “First of all, I am shocked by the accusation and I have not been contacted by the NHRC but I will go there tomorrow.
“From there, whatever it is, we will have to sit together in court over the issue. But the only thing I am going to say for now is that it is absolutely untrue”.