Court bars NBC from imposing fines on broadcast stations – Newstrends
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Court bars NBC from imposing fines on broadcast stations

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Director General, National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah

Court bars NBC from imposing fines on broadcast stations

A Federal High Court Abuja, on Wednesday, gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) from imposing fines, henceforth, on broadcast stations in the country.

Justice James Omotosho, in a judgement, also set aside the N500,000 fines imposed, on March 1, 2019, on each of the 45 broadcast stations.

Justice Omotosho held that the NBC, not being a court of law, had no power to impose sanctions as punishment on broadcast stations.

He further held that the NBC Code, which gives the commission the power to impose sanction, is in conflict with Section 6 of the Constitution that vested judicial power in the court of law.

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

He said the commission did not comply with the law when it sat as a complainant and at the same time, the court and the judge on its own matter.

The judge agreed that the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, being a subsidiary legislation that empowers an administrative body such as the NBC to.enforce its provisions cannot confer judicial powers on the commission to impose criminal sanctions or penalties such as fines.

He also agreed that the commission, not being Nigerian police, had no power to conduct criminal investigation that would lead to criminal trial and imposition of sanctions.

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“This will go against the doctrine of separation of powers,” he said.

Omotosho held that what the doctrine sought to achieve was to prevent tyranny by concentrating too much powers in one organ.

“The action of the respondent qualifies as excessiveness” as it had ascribed to itself the judicial and executive powers.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NBC had, on March 1, 2019, imposed the sum of N500, 000 each on 45 broadcast stations in the country over alleged violation of its code.

However, the Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda had, in an originating motions marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1386/2021, sued the NBC as sole respondent in the suit.

In the motion dated Nov. 9, 2021 by its lawyer, Noah Ajare, the group sought a declaration that the sanctions procedure applied by the NBC in imposing N500,00Q fines on each of the 45 broadcast stations on March 1, 2019 was a violation of the rules of natural justice.

The lawyer also said that the fines were in violation of the right to fair hearing under Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Articles 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (Cap AQ) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The group argued that this was so because the code, which created the alleged offences of which the broadcast stations were accused was written and adopted by the NBC, “and also gives powers to the said commission to receive complaints of alleged breaches, investigate and adjudicate the complaints, impose sanctions, including fines, and ultimately collect the fines, which the commission uses for its own purposes.”

They, therefore, sought an order setting aside the N500,000 fines purportedly imposed by the NBC on each of the 45 broadcast stations on Friday, March 1, 2019.

They also sought “an order of perpetual Injunction restraining the respondent, its servants, agents, privies, representatives or anyone acting for or on its behalf, from imposing fines on any of the broadcast stations or any other broadcast station in Nigeria for any alleged offence committed under the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.”

Delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho decsribed the NBC’s act as being ultra vires.

He held that the fines imposed by the NBC as punishment for commission of various offences under its code were contrary to the law and hereby declared as unconstitutional, null and void.

The judge also made an order of perpetual injunction restraining the commission from further imposing fines on broadcast stations in the country.

Court bars NBC from imposing fines on broadcast stations

(NAN)

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200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

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Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa

200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that about 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East, noting that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for this achievement.

The CDS made this known at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.

He disclosed that the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.

His words, “All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.

“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.

“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic.

“We have said it; the kinetic aspect is just less than 30%. The non-kinetic has a lot to play. The non-kinetic, because when you have democracy, people must have the evidence of democracy. As long as it tells people to sleep well and be peaceful, and they are hungry, their children cannot eat, and all this creates more problems.

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“The issue of informants. We have to look at how we tackle this issue of informants. Because these are the people who have created the issue.

200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS

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Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

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Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

The spokesperson for the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, has confirmed the death of two robbery suspects in the state.

Mr Edafe, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, said that the deceased were killed from the bullets shot by their gang members.

According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Edafe explained that the deceased were leading the police surveillance team attached to the Ekpan Division to their hideout when they were caught during a shoot-out.

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“The suspects were arrested at Effurun roundabout with a bag containing 57 live cartridges and other items. They were leading the surveillance team to their hideout at Warri/Sapele road when their gang members, on sighting the vehicle of the police team, engaged them in a shootout.During the gun duel, the arrested suspects that were leading the police team were fatally wounded by the gun shot of their colleagues. The two injured suspects were taken to the hospital and later died while receiving treatment,” he said.

Mr Edafe said that items recovered from the hoodlums hideout included: one English pump action gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun and eight live cartridges.

Others were: six iPhones, Smart phones and a Rolex wrist watch.

He said that the command had intensified manhunt on the fleeing members of the gang.

 

Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police

(NAN)

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Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured

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Dr. Samuel Ekerenam
Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured
Gunmen kidnapped a prominent businessman, Dr. Samuel Ekerenam and k!lled his driver in Eket town, the headquarter of Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Ekerena, the owner of Hephzibah Mall, was abducted about 10:00pm on Saturday, 23 November, 2024.
It was gathered that the gunmen trailed the victim to the shopping complex, shooting sporadically to scare the passers-by away before whisking him away to an unknown destination.
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The body of Ekerenam’s driver was discovered in the pool of his blood, while his police orderly was severely wounded in the gun attack.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, ASP Timfon John, who confirmed the incident on Monday, November 25, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph Eribo has deployed tactical operatives to comb for the abducted businessman.
The PPRO added that the police were on top of the game and very soon the kidnap victim would be rescued and the perpetrators made to face the full weight of the law.

Akwa Ibom businessman abducted, driver killed, police orderly injured

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