Zongo Peace Council Head and Zuria FM Broadcaster: When Peace Itself Goes to Court ‎

The man who chairs the Ashanti Regional Zongo Peace and Reconciliation Committee should be the last person caught in a long court dispute. Yet Sheikh Mohammed Ridwan and Zuria FM's Yussif Abdul Ganiyu, popularly called Shola, have moved from one courtroom to another, with little sign of peaceful coexistence.

The quarrel began over an April 2021 radio programme. The prosecution said Ganiyu used unprintable words against Ridwan, CEO of Alpha Radio, during a live broadcast. It also said he urged Kumasi Muslims to boycott Alpha Radio for allowing the preaching of all faiths.

The National Media Commission later directed the two stations to stop propagating hate speech after Ridwan's complaint of personal attacks, religious bigotry and incitement.

In July 2024, the Asokwa District Court found Ganiyu guilty of offensive conduct conducive to a breach of the public peace. It fined him GH¢6,000, or three months' imprisonment in default.

Ridwan said the verdict exonerated him.
The courts have not ruled for one side alone. In January 2025, the Kumasi High Court dismissed a defamation suit Ridwan brought against Ganiyu, finding he had not proved his case.

The dispute has now reached the appellate level. The Court of Appeal in Kumasi upheld the High Court and dismissed Shola's appeal. It held that the District Court acted within its jurisdiction in entertaining an application to enforce a good-behaviour bond against him. That clears the way for the District Court to continue hearing the application.

The law is taking its course, and the courts are entitled to settle the matter. But the wider lesson lies outside the courtroom. Zongo communities in Kumasi look to their leaders, clerics and broadcasters for guidance. When a peace figure and a radio voice spend years in litigation, that guidance suffers.

This column holds that elders and elites in the community are best placed to broker a settlement that no judgment can deliver. Judgments decide who is right, but they do not heal.

Sheikh Ridwan has himself said that religious leaders have a vital role in promoting unity and stability. The same principle applies to this dispute. Peace is not only preached from the pulpit or the microphone; it is also practised in how leaders resolve their own quarrels.

By Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science Communicator
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis
International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding (USIP)
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +233555275880

References

1. GhanaWeb, "Kumasi-based journalist convicted of incitement" (25 July 2024).
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2. Graphic Online, "Kumasi: Court convicts and fines Zuria FM's Yussif Abdul Ganiyu for incitement" (with full judgment).
   Read article
3. Graphic Online, "Court dismisses defamation suit against Zuria FM staff."
   Read article
4. ModernGhana, "Appeal Court backs District Court ruling against Zuriah FM broadcaster." Read article
5. Ghanaian Times, "NMC directs 2 Kumasi radio stations to stop propagating hate speeches."
   Read article
6. Daily Guide, "Islamic Cleric Bags Master's Degree In Peace, Security At KAIPTC."
   Read article