IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has imposed a fine of N5million on Trust Television Network (Trust TV) over the broadcast of a documentary titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story”, which was aired on 5 March, 2022.
The NBC letter to the company dated August 3, 2022, was signed by the Director General, Balarabe Shehu Illela.
The agency declared that the documentary, which chronicled terrorist activities, contravened sections of the National Broadcasting Code.
Trust TV said the broadcast presents insights into the intersection of injustice, ethnicity and bad governance as drivers of the conflict.
In a statement, the management of Media Trust Group said, “While we are currently studying the Commission’s action and weighing our options, we wish to state unequivocally that as a television station, we believe we were acting in the public interest by shedding light on the thorny issue of banditry and how it is affecting millions of citizens of our country.
“The documentary traces the root of the communal tensions and systemic inadequacies which led to the armed conflict that is setting the stage for another grand humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. It presents insights into the intersection of injustice, ethnicity and bad governance as drivers of the conflict. It also aggregates voices of experts and key actors towards finding solutions, including those of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one the worst hit communities in Zamfara State.
The management added that Trust TV is studying the NBC action and “weighing our options.”