Group carpets FG, says closure of station, act of political vendetta

Human rights organization, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) has carpet the Federal Government over shutting the African Independent Television (AIT) and its radio station; Raypower down through its agency, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), describing it as an act of political vendetta.

Reacting to the closure of the private radio and television station, the group’s Board of Trustees Chairman, Emeka Umeagbalasi termed the action of the NBC as militarist, stressing that the abrupt shutdown of the station was the height of Nigerian Government’s political intolerance and dictatorial tendencies.

In a press statement issued by the group, a copy of which was made available to The Guardian, its chairman said the reasons given by the NBC are nothing short of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it as using hate speech as an excuse is just an extension of the present government’s policy of criminal labeling and stigmatization targeted at its political opponents.

“The same government that accuses AIT and its Ray Power Radio of “spreading hate speech” is condoning and protecting Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), which goes about openly and in the private and public media with reckless abandon to admit killing citizens and issuance of more threats. MACBAN has been going about addressing press conferences and threatening to attack one part of the country or the other, yet the same FG has kept mum and refused to proscribe or deregister it as a legal entity in Nigeria as well as arrest and prosecute its leaders.”