The human rights group says the governor’s action is against the law and a direct attack on press freedom in Nigeria.

According to them, Governor Bago’s claim that the radio station was encouraging violence and should lose its license shows he is using his power wrongly and can’t tolerate criticism.

Amnesty International shared their thoughts in a post on their official X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday.

They said shutting down the station just because it shared views the governor didn’t like is completely wrong and cannot be defended.

They also pointed out that while criminals are attacking and displacing communities in Niger State, and both state and federal governments are failing to protect people, the governor is busy blaming a radio station instead of fixing the real problems.

The group believes this move is part of a bigger plan to scare journalists and stop them from doing their work freely.

They called on Governor Bago to allow media houses to do their jobs without fear and to respect the rights of journalists and the press.

Amnesty added that under Nigerian law, a governor does not have the power to shut down a radio station. They described the action as illegal and an open attack on freedom of the press.

They also warned that attacking independent media is a way of blocking people from getting fair and truthful news about what’s really going on in their communities.

It should be remembered that on Thursday, Governor Bago ordered the closure of Badeggi FM, saying the station was spreading violence and acting unprofessionally.