The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has imposed a fine of N5 million on Trust Television Network, Trust TV, over the broadcast of a documentary titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story”, which was aired by the station on March 5, 2022.
The NBC, in a letter to Trust TV dated August 3, 2022, and signed by its Director General, Balarabe Shehu-Illela, said the fine was imposed on the TV station for contravening the National Broadcasting Code.
Reacting to the NBC decision in a statement on Wednesday, Trust TV management said the report was made in the interest of the public.
It said: “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 Sa’idu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one of the worst hit communities in Zamfara State.
“Other experts who featured in the documentary include scholars like Professor Abubakar Saddique of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Dr. Murtala Ahmed Rufai of the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, who have both studied the subject of banditry for a long period.”
