NBC Seeks Fresh Appeal Over Court Ruling Nullifying Broadcast Fines

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking permission to file a fresh appeal against a Federal High Court judgment that restrained it from imposing fines on broadcast stations.

The application follows the Court of Appeal’s decision on June 17, 2026, which struck out the commission’s earlier appeal after describing it as fundamentally defective and incompetent.

In a motion filed through its counsel, 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 dispute originated from a lawsuit filed by Media Rights Agenda, which challenged the commission’s decision to impose fines of ₦5 million each on MultiChoice Nigeria Limited, owners of DStv, TelCom Satellite Limited, Trust-TV Network Limited and NTA Startimes Limited.

According to a statement issued by Media Rights Agenda’s Communications Officer, Idowu Adewale, the sanctions followed the broadcast of documentaries on banditry and insecurity in Zamfara State, which the NBC alleged undermined national security.

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia ruled that the commission acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally, holding that the NBC lacked the authority to impose sanctions because it is not a court of law.

The commission’s initial appeal was later struck out after the appellant was incorrectly described in court documents as the “Nigerian Broadcasting Commission” instead of its statutory name, the “National Broadcasting Commission.”

In its fresh application, the NBC argued that the judgment raises issues of significant public importance relating to its statutory powers to regulate broadcasting and enforce compliance with industry standards.

The commission warned that allowing the judgment to stand without appellate review could weaken its regulatory mandate and create uncertainty within Nigeria’s broadcasting sector.

According to the NBC, the ruling could encourage non-compliance with broadcasting regulations while increasing the risk of false, misleading and inflammatory content capable of causing public anxiety and unrest.

The commission also informed the court that it had instructed its lawyers to appeal the judgment immediately after it was delivered and attributed the failure of its earlier appeal to an inadvertent error in describing its statutory name.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the application.