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By Seyi Babalola
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have dragged Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago and the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to court over alleged intimidation, threats, and plans to shut down Minna-based Badeggi FM.
In a suit filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, with number FHC/L/CS/1587/2025, the two organisations are asking the court to determine whether, under Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 2(1)(t) of the NBC Act, the NBC has a legal duty to protect Badeggi FM from “ongoing intimidation from the governor.”
Governor Bago is accused of ordering security operatives to seal the station, threatening to revoke its license, demolish its premises, and profile the owner, Shuiabu Badeggi, over allegations of “promoting violence” — claims SERAP and NGE say are “vague, unfounded, and unsubstantiated.”
According to the joint statement signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare and NGE General Secretary Onuoha Ukeh, the lawsuit seeks “a declaration that by the combined provisions of section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution and section 2(1)(t) of the NBC Act, the NBC has the legal duty to protect Badeggi FM and other broadcasting outlets in Nigeria from any intimidation and undue interference.”
The groups are also requesting “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Niger State governor and NBC from harassing, intimidating, and/or threatening to shut down Badeggi FM and revoke its licence.”
In their argument, SERAP and NGE contend that “the failure and/or neglect of the NBC to protect and defend the independence of Badeggi FM radio against arbitrary executive interference constitutes a breach of its statutory duty to ensure fair, independent, and lawful broadcasting practices in Nigeria.”
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They further allege that “the ongoing intimidation, and threat by Governor Bago to strip Badeggi FM of its operational licence, further threat to demolish the station’s premises and to profile the station’s owner is unlawful and a violation of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.”
The suit, filed on their behalf by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, and Andrew Nwankwo, stresses that “intimidating, harassing, and silencing critical or dissenting voices under the guise of vague and unsubstantiated national security concerns is a fundamental breach of your constitutional oath of office and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.”
They warned that such actions would have “a chilling effect on the protection of freedom of expression and media freedom across several states” and could discourage “participation of the press in debates over matters of legitimate public concern ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
“Media outlets in Niger State should be free to enable debate on issues of public interest without fear of reprisals,” the statement reads. “Both Governor Bago and the NBC have the duty to respect and uphold the constitutional and statutory obligations to ensure that journalists and media houses that regularly impart information on matters of public interest, including Badeggi FM, enjoy an environment to perform that function.”
Highlighting the role of a free press, SERAP and NGE noted: “The Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties protect the press not merely so that specific journalists may conduct their work; they protect the press in order to guarantee the public’s right of access to information in the public interest.”
The groups are seeking five specific reliefs, including court declarations affirming NBC’s duty to shield broadcasters from undue interference, recognising the alleged threats as unlawful, and restraining the NBC and the governor from further harassment.
No date has yet been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
