Channels TV came under the sledge hammer of the National Brodcasting Commission (NBC), with suspension of the pooular political prigramme ” Politics Today” and also a fine of N5million slammed on the television station.
The Commission communicated the infraction and the penalties to the Television house in a letter, which has since gone viral on social media.
The sanction may not be unrelated to an interview granted to a spokesperson of the secessionist Independent People Of Biafra (IPOB) .
The commission argued in the letter that the interview hosted by Seun Okinbaloye on a programme “Politics Today” on Sunday night, was in contravention of several of the broadcast codes and extant laws of the land.
“In the programme, a so called new leader or IPOB made several secessionist and inciting declarations on air without caution or reprimand by your station.
“He also made derogatory, false and misleading statements about the Nigerian Army.
“This is reprehensible especially that IPOB remains a proscribed organisation as pronounced by the law courts of the land. This much channels ought to know and respect.”
The letter signed by the Acting Director General, Prof Armstrong Idachaba cited sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code as having been violated.
It said Channels TV was now liable to the suspension of its licence and a fine of N5millon provided in Section 15 of the code for its infractions.
He directed an immediate cessation of the programme and cautioned that “the Channels owes the country the responsibility for a true professional and ethically guided Broadcasting especially at times of crisis.”
