• Accuse Bago of Intimidation
By Abiola Olawale
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have launched a legal battle against Niger State Governor Umar Bago and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over alleged threats and intimidation targeting Badeggi FM Radio, a privately-owned station in Minna, Niger State.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos under case number FHC/L/CS/1587/2025, is said to be aimed at safeguarding the station’s operations and upholding press freedom in Nigeria, respectively.
The New Diplomat reports that Bago recently ordered the immediate closure of Badeggi FM 90.1, revoked its operating license, and threatened to demolish the station’s premises while directing security agencies to profile its owner, Shuaibu Badeggi.
The governor had accused the station of “unethical conduct” and inciting violence against his administration in Niger State.
However, SERAP and NGE, in the lawsuits, argued that these actions violated freedom of expression and media freedom under Section 22 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution and Section 2(1)(t) of the NBC Act.
SERAP and NGE are also seeking “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Niger state governor and NBC from further harassing, intimidating and/or threatening to shut down Badeggi FM radio, revoke its licence and profile the station’s owner.”
In the suit, SERAP and NGE argue that: “Unless the reliefs sought are granted, the governor will continue to threaten, intimidate and harass the radio station and its owner and may weaponize the NBC against the station.”
According to them, “the failure and/or neglect of the NBC to protect and defend the independence of Badeggi FM radio against arbitrary executive interference and ongoing intimidation constitutes a breach of its statutory duty to ensure fair, independent, and lawful broadcasting practices in Nigeria.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP and NGE by their lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, and Andrew Nwankwo, read in part: “The media plays an essential role as a vehicle or instrument for the exercise of freedom of expression and information – in its individual and collective aspects – in a democratic society.
“Intimidating, harassing, and silencing critical or dissenting voices under the guise of vague and unsubstantiated national security concerns is a fundamental breach of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
“Intimidating, harassing, and silencing Badeggi FM and its owner would have a chilling effect on protecting freedom of expression and media freedom across several states.
“The ongoing intimidation, harassment, and threat to arbitrarily revoke the station’s licence, unlawfully demolish its premises, and profile its owner are all antithetical to the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations.
“The ongoing intimidation and harassment of Badeggi FM and its owner is capable of discouraging participation of the press in debates over matters of legitimate public concern ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
