Shinkafi said that the Zamfara State Government’s action of shutting down NTA and other media houses attracted unprecedented reactions and criticisms from various organisations and agencies.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Zamfara State Government has apologised for temporarily stopping operations at NTA, FRCN’s Pride FM Gusau and three other private broadcast media organisations.
The privately-owned media firms affected include Gamji TV, Gamji FM and Al-umma TV.
Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, in a statement had alleged that the organisations violated its Executive Order No.10 and abused journalism practice.
However, Abdullahi Shinkafi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman, Zamfara State Committee on Prosecution of Banditry and Related Offences, apologised to the media while addressing a press conference in Gusau on Monday.
Shinkafi said the government was angered by the alleged violation of the order which came into effect on October 13.
The government, in the order, banned all forms of political rallies and meetings in the state due to security concerns, suspended all political activities in the state and totally shut down all roads in Anka, Bukuyum and Gummi local government areas and other affected towns and villages.
Shinkafi said that the affected media organisations violated the Order by covering an alleged “illegal political activity” of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), Dauda Lawal-Dare, in Gusau on Saturday.
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He said the “illegal political gathering” led to a security breach by some youths of the two political parties, saying “The police had confirmed that one man was shot dead and 18 others injured during the event.”
Shinkafi said that the Zamfara State Government’s action of shutting down NTA and other media houses attracted unprecedented reactions and criticisms from various organisations and agencies.
The broadcast media regulators, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), among others, condemned the government for its action and called for immediate reversal.
The APC chieftain, however, insisted that Governor Matawalle’s action was guided by the powers vested on him as enshrined in relevant sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic.
According to him, the government has since withdrawn the order given to the Commissioner of Police to arrest and prosecute personnel seen around the affected media organisations.
Shinkafi said the government has also withdrawn the security forces deployed to the media houses to allow the personnel resume their work.
He urged NTA and all media organisations and journalists to respect Zamfara State laws and support the government in its effort to tackle banditry and kidnapping in parts of the state.
