Niger State Governor Umaru Bago is facing mounting national backlash after ordering the abrupt shutdown of Badeggi FM 90.1, a privately owned radio station in Minna, sparking outrage from legal and press freedom watchdogs.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in a strongly worded open letter, gave Bago 48 hours to reverse the “arbitrary and unlawful” order, reinstate the station’s licence, and end what it called a “crackdown on freedom of expression.”
SERAP condemned the profiling of station owner Shuaibu Badeggi and threats to demolish the station’s premises, warning that “silencing critical voices under vague and unsubstantiated security concerns is a fundamental breach” of the constitution.
The International Press Institute Nigeria joined the call, accusing Bago of “executive rascality” and threatening to add his name to their infamous blacklist of press oppressors if the decision isn’t reversed.
The Nigerian Bar Association also weighed in, stating bluntly that only the National Broadcasting Commission has the authority to revoke licences, adding that Bago’s actions were “illegal, unconstitutional, and draconian.”
Governor Bago defended the move during an APC caucus meeting, accusing the station of “unethical broadcasts” and incitement, claiming it undermined his administration’s development agenda – claims critics have dismissed as “vague and unfounded.”
SERAP warned that such a dangerous precedent could chill press freedom ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that “any restriction on the press must be lawful, necessary and proportionate.”
IPI Nigeria further reminded the public of a pattern of repression, citing previous assaults on journalists under Bago’s government, including the detention of NUJ chairman Yakubu Mustapha and an attack on VOA’s Mustapha Batsari.
The joint statement stressed that “media outlets must be free to enable debate on public interest issues without fear of reprisals,” demanding that Governor Bago immediately reverse his decision or face legal and reputational consequences.
