Nigeria shuts private TV, radio close to opposition

Nigeria’s broadcasting authority said Thursday it had shut down a private radio and a television station both owned by a key opposition figure who earlier claimed his media operations were targetted in a crackdown.

The National Broadcasting Commission(NBC) said it suspended the license of the Daar Communications Plc, owners of the African Independent Television(AIT) and RayPower FM radio for breach of the broadcast codes.

The NBC said in a statement it had summoned the management of the stations for two years to address alleged bias in their broadcasts and for failing to meet financial obligations to the regulatory authority.

The statement charged the two had “embarked on use of inflammatory, divisive, inciting broadcasts and media propaganda against the government and the NBC for performing its statutory functions of regulating the broadcast industry in Nigeria.”