Court bars Nigeria regulator from penalising TV stations

A court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has barred the media regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), from imposing fines on TV stations in the country.

Presiding Judge James Omotosho, in a permanent injunction issued on Wednesday, said the NBC lacked the judicial powers to impose penalties on broadcast stations.

Justice Omotosho also set aside the $1,084 (£988) in fines imposed on 45 TV stations over alleged breach of code in March 2019.

He said the court would “not sit idle” and watch the body imposing fine arbitrarily without recourse to the law.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors has commended the court’s ruling, terming the NBC’s fines draconian.

source: bbc