Channels Television suspended for allowing terrorist IPOB make inciting declarations on air
*FG just waking up – Respondent
“If it is true that Channels Television has been suspended and fined for this professional irresponsibility, it means the Nigerian Government is just waking up. If not for ethnic and religious sentiments running in them, how come this television chooses to support terrorism by Southern group but is hard and inflammatory against terrorism by Northern group, although none should deserve the sympathy of any media in Nigeria?” A respondent reacted.
The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has suspended Channels Television with a fine of N5 million for breaching the broadcast code.
According to a report by Vanguard on Monday, Channels Television incurred the wrath of the Federal broadcasting regulator because it lost out of tract when it allowed a terrorist group leader, who it should have worked against in favour of the country of its operation base, to have a free day issuing inciting declarations using its facilities.
On its #SundayPolitics, Channels TV had granted the luxury of airtime for the terrorist leader to run down Nigeria and its armed forces saying, “It is a lie. Nigerian Army does not have the wherewithal to enter IPOB’s camp… IPOB and ESN are intact,” IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful said.
In a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television signed by the Acting Director General of the Commission, NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, the Commission reportedly referred to Channels 7pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, 25th April, 2021, in which it accused the TV station of allowing a leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, IPOB to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by the station contrary to the broadcast code.
It also accused the station of allowing the guest speaker to make derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian army, despite being proscribed by a court of law.
A respondent, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said, “If it is true that Channels Television has been suspended and fined for this professional irresponsibility, it means the Nigerian Government is just waking up. No media should hide under press freedom to support evil and wicked terrorism against the country we all own.
“If not for ethnic and religious sentiments running in them, how come this television chooses to support terrorism by Southern group but is hard and inflammatory against terrorism by Northern group, although none should deserve the sympathy of any media in Nigeria?”
The DEFENDER reports that Channels Television station was still on air with KICC church program as at the time of filing this report by 6.47 pm Monday.
Read details in Vanguard https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/04/breaking-nbc-suspends-channels-tv-for-speaking-with-ipob/
Details later…
