Amnesty International has announced the appointment of Isa Sanusi, a human rights activist, as its new country director for Nigeria.

A statement issued by the chairman of the board of trustees of Amnesty International Nigeria, Auwal Rafsanjani, said Mr Sanusi would lead the expansion of the organisation’s research, campaigning, and advocacy work in Nigeria.

Until his new appointment, Isa Sanusi was Amnesty International Nigeria’s media and communications manager, a position he has held since 2016. Before that, he worked as a broadcast journalist for the BBC World Service for 10 years and was Assistant Editor at the Daily Trust newspaper.

He has also led various human rights projects and trained human rights defenders across Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Bayero University Kano and a Master’s in Journalism from the University of London’s Birkbeck College.

“Isa Sanusi was part of the team for years and played a key role in major successful human rights projects.

“Now, Amnesty International Nigeria will enter a new phase of growth that will include supporting and working with civil society organisations, human rights defenders, and activists to advance human rights, ensure that perpetrators of rights violations are held to account and that victims enjoy access to justice and effective remedies,” Mr Rafsanjani said.