The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) fined Trust Television Network (Trust TV) N5 million as a result of the transmission of the documentary “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story.” Trust TV has responded.
The National Broadcasting Code was broken by the documentary, according to the letter sent to Trust TV on August 3, 2022 from NBC Director General Balarabe Shehu Illela.
The management of Media Trust Group responded in a statement, saying the business is presently considering its options.
“While we are currently studying the Commission’s action and weighing our options, we wish to state unequivocally that as a television station, we believe we were acting in the public interest by shedding light on the thorny issue of banditry and how it is affecting millions of citizens of our country.
“The documentary traces the root of the communal tensions and systemic inadequacies which led to the armed conflict that is setting the stage for another grand humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. It presents insights into the intersection of injustice, ethnicity and bad governance as drivers of the conflict. It also aggregates voices of experts and key actors towards finding solutions, including those of the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one the worst hit communities in Zamfara State,” the statement said.
According to the release, additional experts who contributed to the documentary included researchers who have studied banditry, including as Professor Abubakar Saddique of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and Dr. Murtala Ahmed Rufai of Usmanu Danfodio University in Sokoto.
