According to reports, The National Broadcasting Commission [NBC] on Friday said it has
arrested operators of Radio Biafra, blocked the station from Nigeria’s
airwaves and seized its transmission equipment in many part of Nigeria’s
South-East zone.
NBC’s Director General, Emeka Mba, made this known Friday in a statement revealed his commission has effectively neutralised the illegal
broadcast from the pirate radio station he said had shattered the peace
of South-East Nigeria with unsavoury messages.
“Working with security operatives, the commission has also tracked
down, neutralized and confiscated transmitter equipment from several
locations in the region,” he said.
“Some suspects involved in the illicit broadcasts have also been arrested and taken to Abuja for questioning and prosecution.
“The commission has also worked with other agencies to remove the
transmissions of the illegal station from the satellite, and this has
put paid to the divisive and disruptive transmissions.”
He said the commission appreciated the concerns expressed by
Nigerians over the seditious activities of the illegal radio station and
urged the people of the region to disregard the messages purveyed by
it.
Radio Biafra was floated by some Nigerians in the South-East of the
country, who appear nostalgic of the defunct Biafra Republic, which
ceased to exist at the end of the Nigerian civil war in 1970.
While its backers say the radio caters for the needs of people from
the region, the network is also known for propagating falsehood,
dangerous propaganda and ideology of the former secessionist Republic.
This newspaper had on July 10 wrote an editorial drawing attention to
the disturbing signals from the radio station and called for urgent
steps to curtail its excesses. Four days later, the government said it had successfully jammed its signals.
The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Shade
Yemi-Esan, made this known Tuesday while briefing journalists at the
presidential villa after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the
activities of her ministry.
She claimed the NBC had successfully blocked the signals of the radio station.
However, on July 15, listeners confirmed that station remained on the
airwaves as of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, long after Ms.
Yemi-Esan, told journalists it had been blocked.
The station also denounced the claim by government, tweeting that its
terrestrial transmission remained alive as well as its online radio.
“Radio Biafra is live in Biafra land: NBC woe to you and your lies: NBC lied to their master and gullib…,” the radio tweeted.
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