Linus Aleke in Abuja 

A civil society organisation operating under the umbrella of Global Rights, Nigeria, has alleged that the Niger State government is gradually descending into full-blown authoritarianism, with recorded sequence of high-handedness, rights violations, and a brutal assault on free speech, exemplified by the shutting down of a radio station, Badeggi FM, for daring to perform its sacred duty of keeping the public up to date on happenings in the state. 

Global Rights, while decrying the illegal and undemocratic shutdown of Badeggi FM by the Governor of Niger State, Umar Bago, demanded the immediate reversal of the order closing the station.

A statement by the Executive Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, stated that this latest assault on press freedom is not only unconstitutional—it is authoritarian. 

She stressed 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. 

Noting that this is not an isolated incident, the Executive Director stated, “It is part of a well-documented and escalating pattern of repressive actions against journalists and civic actors in Niger State, all of which trace directly back to the Governor’s desk.” 

Baiyewu pointed out that what civil societies are witnessing in the state 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. 

According to her, “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. 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.” 

Global Rights said that his governance style reflects a growing authoritarian streak that disregards the rights and dignity of the very people who elected him. 

Stating that the time for giving him the benefit of the doubt has since passed, the Executive Director said that the Nigerian Constitution is clear. According to her, “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.” 

She said that 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 on 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,” she said.

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