According to Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Daily Trust will face sanctions from the Federal government for their documentaries on terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
The minister made this known on Thursday in Abuja during a press conference.
In his words:
“Let me assure you, they will not get away with this naked glorification of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria,”
“When otherwise reputable platforms like BBC give their platform to terrorists, showing their faces as if they’re Nollywood stars… I want to assure them that they won’t get away with it, the appropriate sanctions will be meted.”
The BBC Africa Eye on Monday released a 50-minute documentary titled “The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara” that offered insights into the motivations of bandit lords, the booming kidnap-for-ransom business, and how Zamfara’s insecurity may have been triggered by the ethnic conflict between Hausa and Fulani groups.
Remember that in March, a special report and documentary about the serious problems with banditry in Nigeria was published by Daily Trust TV, a division of Daily Trust Newspaper.
In the documentary, non-state actors like Bello Turji were questioned.
Bello Kachalla, also referred to by his alias Turji, is a notorious bandit chief who mostly operates in the northern Nigerian states of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Niger.
Notable Quotes:
Alhaji Lai Mohammed further stated:
“All I can say is that there is a regulatory body, the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and they are also aware of these incidents and are looking at which part of the broadcasting codes have been violated by both the BBC and the Daily Trust.”
“But I can assure you that there will be consequences. For those who will argue that BBC is a foreign broadcaster and as such, it is not licensed by NBC, let me assure you, they will not get away with this naked glorification of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.”
He concluded:
“I have said it many times here that the media is the oxygen that the terrorists and bandits need to breathe. When other reputable platforms like BBC now give their platform to terrorists, showing their faces as if they are Nollywood stars, what does that means? I want to assure them they won’t get away with it. There are sanctions to be meted on both the BBC and the Daily Trust.”
