SUIT AGAINST NBC DISMISSED

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Minister of Information and Culture.

The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/469/2023, challenged alleged threats and sanctions issued by the NBC against media organisations in the wake of the 2023 general elections.

Delivering judgment, Justice Alexander Owoeye ruled that SERAP lacked the legal standing to institute the action, thereby rendering the case incompetent. As a result, the court held that it lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

SERAP’s suit had accused the NBC of threatening to revoke broadcast licences and impose sanctions on media houses accused of airing what it described as “subversive,” “hateful,” and “inciting” content during the post-election period.