The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has been prevented from imposing fines on broadcast stations by a federal high court in Abuja.
The presiding judge, James Omotosho, ruled on Wednesday that the NBC lacks the legal authority to issue fines.
The judge also overturned NBC’s sanctions imposed on 45 broadcast stations.
In his judgement, Omotosho stated that when it acted on the claimed breaches, the commission acted as the complainant, court, and judge.
The judge further stated that the Nigeria broadcasting code, which enables the commission, does not grant the commission judicial jurisdiction to impose criminal charges or punishments.
He said that the commission is not the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), which has the authority to conduct criminal investigations, and that the NBC’s actions are “contrary to the doctrine of separation of powers.”
The commission also fined some broadcast stations during and after the 2023 elections.
The most recent round of sanctions drew criticism from stakeholders.
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