The minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed says the government of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will sanction the BBC for their documentary on banditry, accusing the platform of amplifying the voice of terrorists.
“Let me assure you, they will not get away with this naked glorification of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria,” Mr Mohammed said on Thursday in Abuja.
“When otherwise reputable platforms like BBC give their platform to terrorists, showing their faces as if they’re Nollywood stars, I want to assure them that they won’t get away with it, the appropriate sanctions will be meted.”
Mr Mohammed’s statement comes days after BBC Africa Eye published a documentary featuring interviews with bandit leaders.
In the documentary, Abu Sani, a bandit kingpin said banditry “has become a business. Everyone wants money. That is why things are deteriorating, from the top to the bottom.”
Threats of sanctions against media platforms have become commonplace with the Buhari regime.
Before now, Mr Mohammed had threatened sanction against CNN for their documentary exposing how Nigerian soldiers opened live rounds on EndSARS protesters at Lekki Tollgate, Lagos.