The National Broadcasting Commission has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking leave to file a fresh appeal against a Federal High Court judgment that barred it from imposing fines on broadcast stations.
The application follows the Court of Appeal’s June 17, 2026, decision striking out the commission’s earlier appeal because it was “fundamentally defective” and incompetent.
In a motion filed by its counsel, Mr Dapo Akinosun (SAN), the NBC asked the appellate court to extend the time within which it can challenge the January 10, 2024, judgment delivered by Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court.
The case arose from a suit instituted by Media Rights Agenda challenging the commission’s decision to impose fines of N5m each on Multichoice Nigeria Limited, owners of DSTV, TelCom Satellite Limited, Trust-TV Network Limited and NTA Startimes Limited.
In a statement issued on Monday and signed by the communications officer of Media Rights Agenda, Idowu Adewale, he said that the sanctions were imposed after the broadcasters aired documentaries on banditry and insecurity in Zamfara State, which the NBC alleged undermined Nigeria’s national security.
