Amnesty International and a Minna-based civil society organization, the Accountability Ambassadors have condemned Niger State Governor Umaru Bago over reported clampdown on a radio station.
Governor Bago ordered the closure Badeggi FM Radio in Minna and profiling of its proprietor.
The governor said the station was inciting the people o the state against his administration.
But the people have said the clampdown by Bago was as attempt to suppress freedom of expression.
The Amnesty International said targeting independent media was aimed at depriving the people the opportunity to receive fair and objective reporting of issues affecting their lives.
“Amnesty International strongly condemns the lawless and repressive order issued yesterday by Governor Umar Bago of Niger state for the closure of Badeggi 90.1 FM Radio Minna – which is an independent sources of news for the people of Niger state.
“The governor’s allegation against the radio station of “inciting violence” and his reckless order that “the license of the Radio station be revoked” clearly show abuse of power and unacceptable intolerance of critical voices. The order for the closure of the radio station is misguided and unjustifiable.
”While bandits and insurgents are ravaging the Niger state through killings and massive displacements of rural communities, with both the federal government and Niger state failing to protect lives, pointing accusing fingers at a radio station clearly shows a failure of leadership.
“Attacking Badeggi 90.1 FM is part of a wider pattern of attempts to create climate of fear across newsrooms in Nigeria and to make it harder for journalists to do their job.
“Governor Bago must immediately withdraw his unlawful order. Under Nigerian laws the governor has no power to order the closure of a radio station. Choosing to bizarrely blame a radio station for the inexcusable security failures of the government is an open attack on media freedom”, it said.
Similarly, Muhammad Alfa Muhammad, the Speaker, Accountability Ambassadors, a Minna-based Civil Society Organization told Bago to respect the Nigerian constitution which grants citizens freedom of expression
“The order by Governor Umaru Bago to shut down Badeggi FM Radio and call for the revocation of its license raises serious constitutional, ethical, and democratic concerns.
“While the need to maintain public peace is legitimate and indeed paramount, the outright closure of a media house without due process sets a dangerous precedent — one that threatens press freedom, chills civic space, and undermines Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution which guarantees freedom of expression and the press.
“The proper recourse, if indeed the station has erred in professionalism or engaged in incitement, should be a formal complaint lodged with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the lawful regulatory body mandated to investigate and sanction media houses. Anything outside that is executive overreach.
“Moreover, ordering the profiling of a private citizen — simply for owning a media platform critical of government — smacks of intolerance and an attempt to stifle dissent. In a democracy, criticism of the government, however harsh, is not only expected but essential. It is what separates constitutional rule from autocracy.
On his Facebook post, a close ally of Bago, Yahaya Adam Idrees, said “The Nigerian Constitution ensures freedom of speech under Section 39, stipulating that every individual has the right to freedom of expression, encompassing the liberty to hold opinions and receive information without interference, a principle also acknowledged in various international human rights frameworks. In light of this, I propose that the governor’s order be reevaluated, as restricting media freedom should not be encouraged”.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
