Amanze ChinonyeThe Lagos State chapter of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB) has raised alarm over what it describes as a growing wave of attacks, intimidation, and regulatory overreach against broadcast practitioners nationwide, warning that the trend could erode democratic principles, stifle development, and weaken press freedom.
In a statement issued in Lagos, SNB Chairman Ayo Makinde said the incidents were “not isolated,” but rather symptomatic of a deeper systemic challenge to the role of the media as guaranteed in Sections 22 and 39 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“The media is tasked with holding government accountable and ensuring the free flow of information, rights now under threat,” Makinde said. “When you silence broadcasters, you weaken public trust, limit citizen participation in governance, and slow national development.”
Makinde accused both direct government action and the misuse of certain laws of driving the clampdown. He pointed to vague provisions in the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, sections of the Cybercrimes Act, parts of the Terrorism Prevention Act, and colonial-era sedition and criminal defamation laws. Even the Public Order Act, though not a media law, has been used to limit coverage of public protests and gatherings, he said.
“These laws, while legitimate in intent, have been applied in ways that intimidate rather than protect,” Makinde warned, adding that the result has been self-censorship especially among smaller, rural stations that fear punitive fines or licence revocations.
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The SNB cited recent flashpoints, including Niger State Governor Umar Bago’s August 2025 threat to shut down Badeggi FM 90.1 and demolish its premises an action the group said only the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is empowered to take.
The organisation also condemned the suspension of Legacy FM 95.1’s acting General Manager, Godfrey Chikwere, over criticisms of Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru, and recalled past controversies such as the demolition of RayPower FM and AIT masts in Rivers State in 2023, NBC’s suspension of AIT and RayPower licences in 2019, and the ₦5 million fines imposed on several broadcasters in 2022 over documentaries on insecurity.
Makinde stressed that while broadcasters are not above reproach, mechanisms already exist within professional bodies such as the SNB, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) to sanction errant practitioners without undermining press freedom.
“The sustainable path for any government is good governance and genuine open communication, not silencing critical voices,” he said. “Dialogue builds stability; censorship breeds mistrust.”
The SNB called for greater legal literacy among practitioners, stronger adherence to professional ethics, adoption of multiplatform broadcasting to reduce regulatory vulnerability, and more public engagement to build solidarity in defence of press freedom.
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