The Federal High Court in Lagos State on Thursday extended an order prohibiting President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, from revoking the licenses of fifty-three Nigerian broadcast stations and shutting them down for allegedly failing to renew their licenses.
After hearing an argument on motion exparte by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Justice Akintayo Aluko granted an order of interim injunction in August.
The order was granted while the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction was heard.
When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice Daniel Emeka Osiagor extended the interim injunction pending the hearing of the Motion on Notice and adjourned the case until October 26, 2022, for the hearing of the originating summons.
Following an argument by SERAP and NGE counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, the Court extended the order of interim injunction.
In August, SERAP and NGE filed a lawsuit against Buhari and NBC, requesting a “declaration that section 10(a) of the Third Schedule to the NBC Act, as used by NBC to threaten to revoke the licenses of 53 broadcast stations and shut them down, is unconstitutional and unlawful, and violates freedom of expression.”
The suit followed NBC’s decision to revoke the broadcast stations’ licenses and shut down their operations within a day due to an alleged N2.6 billion debt.
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