The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned the Niger State Governor Umaru Bago’s directive to shut down Badeggi FM 90.1, a privately-owned radio station in Minna.
The NBA, in a statement by its President Mazi Osigwe, described the governor’s order as a “blatant abuse of power” and a direct affront to the rule of law.
According to the NBA, Bago’s directive, which was communicated to the state’s Commissioner of Police and Commissioner of Homeland Security, includes instructions to profile the station’s owner and mark the premises for demolition.
The NBA president argued that the governor lacks the legal and constitutional authority to close a media house or revoke its broadcast license, as this power is exclusively vested in the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
Osigwe emphasised that security agencies, including the police, are bound by law to operate within constitutional limits and should not be used as tools for political intimidation or to suppress the media.
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He called on the police and other relevant authorities to disregard the governor’s directive, which he deemed unlawful.
He highlighted Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and the right to operate and access media.
He stated that the arbitrary closure of the radio station, without due process or regulatory sanction, is a “dangerous assault on press freedom and democratic governance.”
The NBA said Bago’s directive is unlawful and has no legal effect, and security agencies must refuse to carry out illegal orders that infringe on constitutional rights.
The NBA also said media regulation must follow due process through established statutory bodies, not by “arbitrary executive fiat”, noting that the actions against Badeggi FM violate democratic norms and are a direct attack on press freedom.
The NBA urged Bago to immediately reverse his directive and refrain from further unconstitutional actions.
It called on all levels of government to uphold the rule of law and protect a free and independent media, which it described as a “cornerstone of any democratic society.”
