A right advocacy group known as Global Rights has condemned in strong terms what it described as illegal and undemocratic shutdown of Badeggi FM by the “Farmer Governor Umar Bago of Niger State.
In statement signed by its executive director, Abiodun Baiyewu, Global Rights said the latest assault on press freedom is not only unconstitutional, but also is authoritarian, adding that the governor’s claim that the station was promoting violence and incitement is a tired justification that has no basis in law and only serves to disguise what is clearly a desperate move to suppress independent journalism and stifle dissent.
Explaining their concerns, the group said: “This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a well-documented and escalating pattern of repressive actions against journalists and civic actors in Niger State, all of which are traceable directly to the governor’s desk.
“What we are witnessing is the deliberate construction of a climate of fear under a governor who increasingly governs not through inclusion or dialogue, but through intimidation and silencing.
“Just days before Badeggi FM was shut down, Comrade Emmanuel Umar, Commissioner for Internal Security and Publisher of the Newsline Newspaper, reportedly withheld journalists’ salaries after they covered a protest at the Emir’s palace in Minna. His justification: The coverage embarrassed the government.
“This kind of retaliatory punishment, exercised by someone so close to the governor sends a clear message to journalists across the state: report the truth and suffer the consequences.
“We have also seen the Director General of the State’s Radio Station warn the Nigerian Union of Journalists to choose between journalism and government loyalty. That is not a democratic government speaking. That is an administration deeply threatened by free thought and investigative reporting.
“All of this is happening under Governor Bago’s leadership. And it is no coincidence. His record makes the pattern unmistakable: In April 2025, he issued a statewide directive ordering the arrest of any youth wearing dreadlocks. This outrageous overreach violated personal freedoms and invited indiscriminate profiling and abuse by law enforcement.
“In July 2024, he was caught on camera instructing his security aides to slap a cleric for expressing a view he found offensive. This was not only a state-ordered assault—it was an abuse of power that signalled zero tolerance for dissent.
“In February 2024, peaceful protesters in Minna, demonstrating against hunger and economic hardship, were violently dispersed. Instead of listening to his people, Governor Bago deployed the machinery of the state to silence them.
“These are not the actions of a democrat. These are the actions of a man increasingly ruling like a military administrator, not an elected governor in a constitutional democracy.
“His governance style reflects a growing authoritarian streak that disregards the rights and dignity of the very people who elected him. The time for giving him the benefit of the doubt has since passed.
“The Nigerian Constitution is clear. Under Sections 39 and 40, every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
“Section 22 specifically protects the press and empowers it to hold public officers accountable. Governor Bago has repeatedly violated these constitutional guarantees, and he must be held to account.
“The shutdown of Badeggi FM is the latest in a string of undemocratic decisions, and we call for its immediate reversal. We also demand an end to the targeted intimidation of journalists and civil society actors in Niger State. The right to report, speak, assemble, and organise is not a privilege to be granted or withdrawn at will. It is the lifeblood of any democracy.
“Governor Bago may refer to himself as the “farmer governor,” but what he is growing in Niger State is authoritarianism. His actions are not cultivating development or peace; rather, they are sowing fear and shrinking civic space.
“The people of Niger State, just like all Nigerians, deserve a leadership that respects their rights, not one that tramples them..
“We will continue to speak out and stand with journalists, civil society, and the people of Niger State. The governor must change course or be remembered not for reforms, but for repression.”
