Trust Television Network (Trust TV) has reacted to the N5 million fine imposed on it by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for broadcasting a documentary titled “Nigeria’s Banditry: The Inside Story.”
The NBC Director General, Balarabe Shehu Illela, in a letter dated August 3, 2022, said the fine was imposed on Trust TV because the documentary contravened sections of the National Broadcasting Code.
KEMI FILANI NEWS recalls that the Federal Government had vowed to sanction the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and Daily Trust because of their documentaries on terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
Reacting to the NBC fine, the management of Media Trust Group said the company is currently weighing its options.
The statement 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 Saidu Mohammed Dansadau, who hails from one the worst hit communities in Zamfara State.”
