The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have filed a lawsuit against Niger State Governor Umar Bago and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), accusing them of “ongoing intimidation” against Badeggi FM Radio in Minna and threatening to shut down the station.
In a statement released on Sunday, August 10, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, alleged that the NBC had failed to defend the local station after Governor Bago ordered its closure and licence revocation over alleged public incitement.
The suit, numbered FHC/L/CS/1587/2025, was filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
SERAP and NGE are asking the court to determine “whether by Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) and section 2(1)(t) of the NBC Act, the NBC has the legal duty to protect Badeggi FM from the ongoing intimidation from the governor.”
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They 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.”
“The ongoing intimidation and threat by Mr Bago to strip Badeggi FM station of its licence, further threat to demolish the station’s premises and profile its owner is unlawful and a violation of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom,” the groups argued.
They described the allegations of inciting violence against the station as “vague, unfounded and unsubstantiated and apparently made to silence the radio station.”
The suit, filed by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, and Andrew Nwankwo, stressed: “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.”
As of press time, no date has been fixed for hearing.