Trust Television Network (Trust TV) has been hit with a punishment of N5 million by the National Broadcasting Commission for airing the documentary “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story,” which was broadcast by the network on March 5, 2022.
The management of Trust TV claimed in a statement that the fine was announced in a letter signed by NBC Director General Balarabe Shehu Illela, who highlighted that Trust TV was fined because it broadcast the documentary in violation of certain National Broadcasting Code provisions.
The statement released by Trust TV reads in part
“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.
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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, and Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one the worst-hit communities in Zamfara State.
Other experts 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.
The documentary also brought to the fore the horrifying stories of victims of banditry.”
Recall that on Thursday, July 28, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, announced federal government sanctions on the BBC and Trust TV for what he called the “glorification of terrorists” in their programs.
