[imagesource: BBC News Africa]

Nigeria’s broadcasting regulator has slapped DStv and several other broadcasters with fines for airing a BBC documentary that it argues “glorified the activities of bandits” and threatens national security.

The 50-minute BBC doccie, Bandit Warlords of Zamfara, delves into the violent workings of the dangerous gangs (a screenshot shows a member above) which operate in the country’s northwestern regions, per MyBroadband.

Narrated by a law student raised in an affected area and who has first-hand experience with the violence perpetrated by the gangs, the documentary includes interviews with victims of the violence and the leaders of the bandits.

Have a look:

Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined DStv, TSTV, and Startimes for the broadcast shown during an episode of the BBC Africa Eye programme:

The regulator said although it appreciated the need for “educating, informing, and enlightening the public on issues bordering on developments and happenings within and outside the country”, it advised broadcasters to be “circumspect and deliberate in the choice and carriage of contents deleterious to Nigeria’s national security”.

The NBC cites that “the broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a manner depicting that law and order are socially superior to, or more desirable than crime or anarchy”.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian news publication noted that the fine was likely because of the government’s “disdain for negative press and sharp revelations”.

[source:mybroadband]