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Terrorism reporting: You have 48 hours to withdraw threat to sanction BBC, Daily Trust – SERAP to Buhari
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “urgently instruct Mr Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture to withdraw the threat to sanction the BBC and Daily Trust over their documentaries on terrorism in the country, whether through the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) or any other agency of government.”
According to reports, Mr Mohammed had last Thursday stated that the Federal Government would sanction the BBC and Trust Tv for airing documentaries that allegedly “glorify”, “promote”, and “fuel” terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
In a letter dated 30 July, 2022 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said, “The media has the duty to impart information and ideas on issues of public importance. If carried out, the threat to sanction the BBC and Daily Trust would inhibit the media from reporting on issues of public interest.”
According to SERAP, “Media houses and journalists ought to be given the room to determine how best to present information of public interest, especially information about the growing violence and killings across the country.”
The organization said, “Rather than punishing the media for promoting access to diverse opinions and information on issues of public importance, your government should focus on delivering your promises to ensure the security of Nigerians.”
The organization also said, “Carrying out the threat to sanction the BBC and Daily Trust would lessen the flow of diverse viewpoints and information to the public.”
The letter, read in part: “We would be grateful if the requested action is taken within 48 hours of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions in the public interest.”
“A free, uncensored, and unhindered press or other media is essential in any society to ensure freedom of opinion and expression and the enjoyment of other rights. It constitutes one of the cornerstones of a democratic society.”
“Sanctioning the BBC and Daily Trust would be entirely inconsistent and incompatible with Nigeria’s obligations under article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
“The threat if carried out would impermissibly restrict the constitutional and international rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and victims’ right to justice and effective remedies that are central to public debate and accountability in a democratic society.”
“Access to information is essential for the enjoyment of other human rights and freedoms and constitutes a fundamental pillar for building a democratic society and strengthening democracy.”
“Allowing the media to freely carry out their duties is essential to building secure society and leaving no one behind. Conversely, imposing impermissible restrictions on media houses, journalists and other Nigerians undermines the security that builds a healthy and vibrant society.”
“The grounds for sanctioning the BBC and Daily Trust as stated by Mr Mohammed fail to meet the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality.”
“The requirement of necessity also implies an assessment of the proportionality of the grounds, with the aim of ensuring that the excuse of ‘glorifying, promoting, and fuelling terrorism and banditry’ are not used as a pretext to unduly intrude upon the rights to freedom of expression and access to information.”
“Any interference with the constitutional and legal duties of the BBC and Daily Trust would not be justified in the context of the right to information.”
“The Federal Government has not shown that the documentaries by the media houses would impose a specific risk of harm to a legitimate State interest that outweighs the public’s interest in the information provided by the documentaries.”
“The documentaries by the BBC and Daily pose no risk to any definite interest in national security or public order.”
“It is inconsistent and compatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] to invoke the grounds of ‘glorifying, promoting, and fuelling terrorism and banditry’ as justifications for suppressing freedom of expression or withholding from the public information of legitimate public interest that does not harm national security.”
“It is contrary to both the Nigerian Constitution and international standards to threaten or punish journalists and media houses such as the BBC and Daily Trust for disseminating such information.”
“The vague and overbroad definitions of ‘glorifying’, ‘promoting’, and ‘fuelling’ raise concerns that the threat by the Federal Government if carried out would unduly interfere with the rights to access to information, and disproportionate to any purported legitimate governmental aim. Ill-defined and/or overly broad grounds are open to arbitrary application and abuse.”
“The broad definitions of what may constitute ‘glorifying’, ‘promoting’, and ‘fuelling’ also heighten concerns of overreach, confer far-reaching discretion on the government, and suggest that the grounds cited by the Federal Government are more intrusive than necessary.”
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“These words do not indicate precisely what kind of individual conduct would fall within their ambit.”
“The use of these words by the Federal Government, given their opaque and ambiguous meaning, leaves open the possibility for application beyond unequivocal incitement to hatred, hostility, or violence. Such words may function to interpret legitimate reporting by media houses, journalists, and other Nigerians as unlawful.”
“The grounds cited by the Federal Government for sanctioning the BBC and Daily Trust also fail to establish a direct and immediate connection between the reporting by the media houses and any risks to national security and peace.”
“The threat if carried out would also create an environment that unduly deters and penalizes media houses and journalists, and the reporting of government wrongdoing more generally.”
“The cumulative effect of any attempt to sanction the BBC and Daily Trust would be the gagging of the media from reporting on cases of violence and killings by terrorists and kidnappers, the reporting and information that is clearly in the public interest.”
“SERAP recalls that in your 2022 new year message, you raised concerns about persistent insecurity in certain parts of the country and promised to remain ‘resolute in giving utmost attention to the problem.’”
“While your government has the obligation to maintain national security, this obligation is not set apart from the obligation to protect and ensure human rights. National security is a necessary and integral part of the right to security guaranteed to each person individually.”
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling off properties confiscated from her.
Alison-Madueke, through her legal team led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also requested the court to compel the EFCC to recover any assets already auctioned.
She accused the anti-graft agency of violating her fundamental right to a fair hearing, arguing that the sales were conducted without due legal process.
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She claimed the EFCC relied on final forfeiture orders obtained from various courts but failed to serve her with any charges, proof of evidence, or court summons regarding the seized properties.
According to her, the forfeiture orders were secured through “misstatements, misrepresentations, non-disclosure, concealment, and suppression of material facts.”
“In many cases, the final forfeiture orders were made against properties which affected the Applicant’s interest, the courts were misled into making the final order of forfeiture against the Applicant, based on suppression or non-disclosure of material facts,” she stated.
The former minister further argued that the courts which issued the forfeiture orders lacked jurisdiction and failed to respect her constitutional right to a fair hearing.
She insisted that she was outside Nigeria for medical treatment since 2015 and had no access to Nigerian newspapers where the forfeiture notices were reportedly published.
Alison-Madueke also maintained that she had not been convicted of any crime, making the forfeiture and subsequent sale of her properties unjustifiable.
“Only a court of law can declare an act as constituting unlawful activities and there was no such order that had declared the alleged conduct of the Applicant to be unlawful,” she argued.
In a counter-affidavit, the EFCC insisted that the properties were lawfully forfeited following extensive investigations into Alison-Madueke’s tenure as a public official.
The agency cited two criminal cases against her, including suit FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 filed in November 2018 and HC/ADYL/56c/2017 filed in July 2017.
The EFCC stated that the asset sales were conducted based on final forfeiture orders issued by Justices C.A. Obiozor and I.N. Oweibo in 2019.
It maintained that all necessary legal procedures were followed, including public notices in newspapers inviting interested parties to contest the forfeitures.
“The final forfeiture orders pursuant to which the sale of the properties was conducted are still in force and have not been set aside. The forfeited properties were disposed of in accordance with the due process of law,” the agency stated.
During Monday’s proceedings, Alison-Madueke’s lawyer, Godwin Iyibor, requested additional time to respond to the EFCC’s counter-affidavit, which was served on March 14. EFCC’s counsel, Divine Okoro, acknowledged delays in filing but assured the court of the agency’s commitment to the case.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter to March 27 for a definite hearing, warning that no further delays would be entertained. “The case has been pending since 2023,” the judge noted.
Alison-Madueke’s legal battle with the EFCC also includes a separate ₦100 billion defamation lawsuit against the agency.
In that suit, she alleged that the EFCC had authored and sponsored publications portraying her as a treasury looter, which she claimed subjected her to “public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision, and obloquy.”
Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has issued a three-month ultimatum to individuals who purchased houses in Kwankwasiyya, Amana, and Bandirawo cities, warning that failure to either occupy or rent them out will lead to revocation and reallocation.
The directive was announced on Monday during the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Commissioner for Housing Development, Ibrahim Adamu, a former Managing Director of the Kano Urban Property Development Authority.
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Governor Yusuf expressed concern over the large number of vacant houses in these estates, which were developed during the administration of former Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso and later sold to private buyers.
Many of the homes, however, remain unoccupied, raising fears of deterioration and potential security threats.
“We are giving all those who purchased houses in these cities, especially Kwankwasiyya and Amana, an ultimatum—either occupy them or rent them out. If not, the government will revoke the allocation and sell them to those willing to live in them,” the governor declared.
He emphasized that his administration would not allow these estates to become hideouts for criminals, stressing the need to maximize available housing to address the state’s accommodation challenges.
Governor Yusuf also tasked the new Commissioner for Housing Development with tackling Kano’s housing deficit, reaffirming that the ministry was created to address both urban and rural housing needs.
Additionally, he commended the Kano State House of Assembly for their support and cooperation in governance.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has shred Mal Nasir El-Rufai over his assertion that the party had deviated from its original goals, with many members now in pursuit of personal interests.
This was detailed in a statement on Monday, in Abuja under the signature of its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, Esq.
Morka maintained that El-Rufai’s “claim that he exited because the Party had deviated from its founding values or progressive ideology is a smokescreen to weaponise personal grievance garbed as principled dissent. El-Rufai appears traumatised by his failure to land a ministerial position. Nursing a bruised ego, he now lashes out at the platform he rode to political prominence.”
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Issued under the subject, ‘APC to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai: Quit Sulking, Get a Grip, Salvage Some Responsibility, the statement reads, “In his frenzied attempt to justify his rather implausible exit from the All Progressives Party (APC), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, in an interview with BBC Hausa, opined that APC has deviated from the progressive ideals of its founders and turned into a party where “everyone is now pursuing personal interests.”
In a once viral video, El-Rufai did not hold back when he deprecated politicians, who he argued were consumed by the pursuit of self-interest. In his words, “We have politics of private interest. We have no politics of public interest. Politicians will proudly tell you that politics is about interest. They are ready to collapse the system if they don’t get what they want.”
Today, El-Rufai stands diminished as the epitome of a self-interested politician, blinded by ego, driven by untamed emotion, and brimming with a vengeful desire to “collapse the system.”
In his BBC interview under reference, El-Rufai supplied the real reason for his soreness, stating that he was disappointed by the way he was treated by President Bola Tinubu and his administration, in ostensible reference to his failed ministerial bid. His claim that he exited because the Party had deviated from its founding values or progressive ideology is a smokescreen to weaponise personal grievance garbed as principled dissent. El-Rufai appears traumatised by his failure to land a ministerial position. Nursing a bruised ego, he now lashes out at the platform he rode to political prominence.
APC’s commitment to its founding values and ideals remains as valid and progressive today as they were then. El-Rufai’s allegation of a drift from our Party’s founding values exists only in his foggy imagination. Assuming that matters of political conviction had anything to do with his exit, exactly how is the Social Democratic Party (SDP), El-Rufai’s new political abode, an ideological safe haven?
El-Rufai’s call for opposition members to join him under SDP banner is nothing short of an invitation to drink from a chalice poisoned by selfishness, vengefulness, and delusion of grandeur. Nigerians are far more savvy than El-Rufai thinks, and they know that he is driven by raw self-interest rather than a genuine concern for the country.
Our great Party is unfazed by El-Rufai’s grudge-laden tirade. We continue to welcome millions of new members across the country, who are joining to identify with the Party’s lofty values and support President Tinubu’s bold and transformative policies now birthing sustainable growth and prosperity for our country.
El-Rufai’s claim that Tinubu has failed is as outrageous as it is bogus, and a gross distortion of the reality on the ground. Across all sectors, Nigerians are witnessing tangible progress in the delivery of the President’s campaign promises. Indisputably, Nigeria is better off today than when he took office.
President Tinubu has demonstrated an ironclad commitment to good governance and launched unprecedented policy reforms to address the country’s generational challenges. The removal of fuel subsidy now saves Nigeria an estimated ₦4 trillion annually. The unification of exchange rates has resulted in higher foreign exchange inflow, while the country’s foreign reserves have shown resilient growth despite global economic pressures. President Tinubu’s financial diplomacy has attracted significant foreign direct investment, and reforms in customs and taxation have led to a massive increase in non-oil revenues, while sustained reform in the oil and gas sector has led to a historic boost in the country’s oil export, now upwards of 1.8 million barrels per day.
The President’s strong political will to re-imagine and revitalize Nigeria’s economy is paying off with significant improvement in the country’s GDP growth rate now surging to 3.8% year-on-year in Q4 2024, up from 3.46% in the previous quarter, marking the highest growth rate posted since Q4 2021. This is a direct outcome of the administration’s prudent economic policies and providing a favorable business environment that is widely applauded by the international financial and investment community.
Further, Nigeria’s balance of payment has seen remarkable improvement, with a substantial trade surplus of $14.31 billion in 2024. This is a result of the administration’s vigorous promotion of non-oil exports, reduced reliance on imported goods, and diversification of the country’s economy.
This impressive performance precedes an impending data overhaul, which may reveal an economy that is larger than initially estimated. Prospects for further growth is assuredly bright, with real GDP projected to increase from 3.0% in 2024 to 3.6% in 2025, according to Afreximbank Trade Intelligence Solutions.
In addition, under President Tinubu’s steady leadership, state and local governments now receive vastly higher allocations from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), enabling them to extend development to their people. This increased funding has become a potential game-changer for grassroots development, making it possible to execute critical projects and provide essential services to all Nigerians.
Nigerians do not doubt President Tinubu’s uncompromising commitment to economic reform, good governance, and improving their welfare. Rather than engaging in scurrilous propaganda and deliberate misinformation, El-Rufai should offer constructive criticism or alternative policies as expected of serious-minded political opposition. His misleading rhetoric and personal attacks on the president are reprehensible and calculated to undermine the country’s progress.
El-Rufai is free to choose his political affiliation, as he has done. He should stop sulking, get a grip, and salvage some respectability.
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