Amnesty International has slammed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)’s new controversial directive, describing it an “outrageous and desperate” attempt to gag journalists and curb media freedom.
Reacting to the NBC’s ‘formal notice to broadcasters’ dated April 17, 2026, the global rights organisation said the Commission lacks the authority to dictate operational methods of journalists in carrying out their professional duties.
The statement by Amnesty International asserted that the notice, which targets political analysis and current affairs programming, serves as an authoritarian attempt to force media houses into self-censorship ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While warning against the imposition of “unduly restrictive and invasive controls” on the media landscape, the global organisation argued that such actions threaten press freedom and democratic accountability in the country.
According to the statement signed by the Executive Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, “Nigeria’s vibrant broadcast media, whose editorial content is independent, enable people to freely seek, debate, receive and impart information and ideas as envisaged by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.
He further called on Nigerian authorities to halt what he described as the misuse of the NBC to stifle independent journalism, saying: “The Nigerian authorities must stop using the NBC in an unrelenting quest to silence journalists and media organisations that are crucial to ensuring an independent and diverse media space that fulfils people’s right to information.”
With the organisation cautioning that the latest move by the NBC is both authoritarian and unconstitutional, it urging broadcasters across the country to remain steadfast, while also encouraging journalists to continue carrying out their duties “fiercely and independently without fear,” despite mounting pressure from official government quarters.
