Aminu Imam
The Chairman of the Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (IBAN), Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan, has announced plans to initiate legal action, including cybercrime charges, against the Vice-Chairman of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BoN), Tony Akiotu, and the Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer of MS4 Communications Ltd., Tony Uyah.
In a notice circulated to the outgoing BON Chairman, the Executive Secretary, members of the BON Central Working Committee (CWC) and other stakeholders, Ramalan accused the two media executives of making false allegations against him, which he said were contained in a letter addressed to him and subsequently circulated on social media and published in some Nigerian newspapers.
Ramalan described the allegations as “defamatory” and capable of bringing his “good name into disrepute”, particularly in his capacity as IBAN Chairman and a member of BoN. He stated that his lawyers had been instructed to take “appropriate legal actions” against the individuals involved.
The IBAN Chairman further alleged that the disputed letter and its publication were part of what he called “desperate attempts” to undermine the voting rights of BoN corporate financial members, specifically Liberty Television and Radio (Liberty TVR, ahead of the organisation’s forthcoming 2026 elective Annual General Meeting (AGM). According to him, such actions amounted to infringements and violations of BoN’s internal democratic processes and were aimed at influencing the outcome of the elections.
Beyond the planned legal action, Ramalan said he had formally notified relevant security agencies and authorities to hold the management of MS4 Communications Ltd., as well as “their known local and foreign sponsors and collaborators,” responsible should any harm come to him as a result of the dispute.
He said notifications had also been extended to his family and key national and state security institutions.
Those copied in the notice include the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, the Chairman of the IBAN Board of Trustees, (BoT), members of the IBAN Executive Council, and Liberty TV and Radio’s legal representatives.
As of the time of filing this report, neither Mr. Akiotu nor MS4 Communications Ltd. had issued a public response to the allegations.
