The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Thursday said the BBC and Trust Tv would be sanctioned for airing documentaries glorifying terrorism and banditry.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, he accused the BBC of airing an “unprofessional” documentary, Africa Eye, where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs. 

He condemned the BBC for not upholding the same standards and tenets as they would have done in the UK.  He also alleged that Trust Tv, owned by Media Trust Ltd, used its platform to interview a bandit kingpin, Shehu Rekeb. 

He said the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was looking at which part of the Broadcasting Code was violated by the BBC and Trust TV. 

“Media is the oxygen that terrorists and bandits use to breathe.

“When otherwise reputable platforms like BBC can give their platform to terrorists showing their faces as if they’re Nollywood stars, it’s unfortunate.

“I want to assure them that they’ll not get away with it, appropriate sanctions will be meted to both the BBC and the Trust Tv. 

 “Let me assure you that they’ll not get away with the naked glorification of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.

“It’s because there’s a country called Nigeria that they’re operating here,’’ the minister said.  

The management of Media Trust Limited said it would not react to the story as the company was yet to get any official complaint on the documentary.  By Abdullateef Salau, Daily Trust