DSS Directs NBC to Sanction Nigeria Info Over Obadiah’s Comment

The State Security Service has directed the Nigeria National Broadcasting Commission to penalise a radio station, Nigeria Info, over the recent comment of the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia.

According to Punch, the DSS allegedly directed the NBC to sanction the radio station.

A further report revealed that NBC could term Mailaifa’s statement as hate speech.

Mailaifa had been interviewed on a Monday during one of the station’s programmes called Morning CrossFire, to talk on the killings in Southern Kaduna.

The former Deputy Governor of CBN was asked if the government is not willing to protect the people of Southern Kaduna, he noted that the government is sponsoring the killers.

The former Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said, “Some of us also have our intelligence networks. I have met with some of the bandits; we have met with some of their high commanders one or two who have repented they have sat down with us not once, not twice.”

“They told us that one of the northern governors is the commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram and the bandits are one and the same. They have a sophisticated network. During this lockdown their planes were moving up and down as if there was no lockdown.”

“They were moving ammunition, moving money, and distributing them across different parts of the country.”

Mailafia further stated that the terrorist group has infiltrated Southern Nigeria with a plan to spark a second civil war.

Obadiah on Wednesday was later invited by the DSS after the interview.

The Zonal Coordinator of the NBC, Chibuike Ogwumike, said the station breached the NBC code of conduct.

He, however, declined comments on the type of sanction to be meted out on the station, saying only the director-general of the commission could talk about it.

However, a letter signed by Ogwumike and addressed to broadcast stations, said the NBC monitoring team had recently observed a breach of its code.

The NBC said it expected broadcasters to show professionalism in the handling of programmes, saying, “The recourse to abusing, denigrating and insulting the President, Governors, MPs and other leaders does not show us as cultured people.”

Though the letter was dated August 3, some of the stations reportedly received it between Tuesday and Wednesday, this week.

The Commission recently unveiled its Reviewed Broadcasting Code in Lagos and raised the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to 5 million naira.