The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has strongly condemned the closure of a Minna, Niger State-based independent radio station, Badegi 90.1 FM and demanded its immediate reopening.
Badegi 90.1 FM was reportedly ordered shut by Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, during an expanded meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held on Friday, August 1.
The directive was allegedly made in response to the station’s broadcast of content said to be critical of the state government.
IPI Nigeria’s President, Musikilu Mojeed, in a statement he jointly signed by the Insitute’s Legal Adviser, Tobi Soniyi, described the closure as “yet another crackdown on freedom of expression and media freedom by the current administration in Niger State under Governor Bago.
The Institute condemned the arbitrary suspension of the radio station, describing it as a “grave violation of press freedom” and an assault on democratic norms.
IPI Nigeria recalled previous troubling incidents that point to a growing pattern of repression against the press under Governor Bago’s leadership.
It cited an instance in January 2025 when the Niger State correspondent for Peoples Daily and Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Yakubu Mustapha was detained for three days after allegedly circulating an article critical of the governor’s media adviser.
Similarly, the Institute referenced November 2023, when Mustapha Nasiru Batsari, the Niger State correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA), was reportedly assaulted by a commissioner in Governor Bago’s cabinet.
According to the statement, the assault followed a request for interview from the commissioner regarding a violent clash between farmers in Beji, Bosso local government area of the state.
IPI Nigeria noted that Governor Bago’s actions “represent a blatant abuse of power and are incompatible with the rights enshrined in Sections 22 and 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which guarantee freedom of expression, the right to information, and press freedom.”
It called for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the suspension imposed on Badegi FM by Governor Bago, warning that further action would follow should he fail to comply with the demand.
“If Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago fails to unconditionally reverse this illegal suspension within the next 48 hours, IPI Nigeria will be left with no choice but to include his name in our ‘Book of Infamy,” the statement read.
The group emphasised that arbitrary closures of media outlets harm society by restricting the free flow of diverse opinions and information, stressing that such actions are contrary to the global push for media pluralism and accountability in governance.
“Governor Bago’s administration must uphold the inalienable rights of the people of Niger State, including their rights to free expression, access to information, and freedom of the press,” IPI Nigeria stated.
IPI Nigeria launched the ‘Book of Infamy’ in April 2022 to document individuals whose actions directly or indirectly contribute to the repression, harassment, or intimidation of journalists and media organizations in Nigeria.
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