Aminu Imam
The Northern Broadcast Media Owners Association, (NBMOA) has filed an appeal against the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, against Arewa24 TV, delivered on July 2, 2025.
NBMOA spokesperson, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Aminu, told Voice of Liberty (VoL) that the appeal, with Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1410/2024, was filed in what the association described as “Nigeria’s national interest’, alleging judicial, regulatory and commercial capture of the country’s broadcast and advertising space by AREWA24 TV.
According to the association, AREWA24 operates in breach of Nigeria’s broadcasting regulations, accusing relevant regulators of failing to enforce existing laws despite the channel’s alleged transmission activities in Kano, and its commercial operations in Lagos.
NBMOA further alleged that AREWA24 has deployed politically exposed persons, including serving and former public office holders, to lobby against regulatory enforcement and weaken oversight within the broadcast and advertising industry. Dissatisfied with the trial court’s decision, the association filed a notice of appeal containing nine (9) grounds of appeal.
The association, acting through its Incorporated Trustees, instituted the original suit on September 23, 2024, in a representative capacity on behalf of licensed broadcast media owners in Northern Nigeria. The suit challenged the alleged unlicensed broadcasting, regulatory breaches, anti-competitive practices by AREWA24, and the failure of regulatory agencies to act.
NBMOA also accused AREWA24 of misleading the trial court, by claiming it is solely a content production company without transmission facilities. The association, however, maintained that AREWA24 content is transmitted via satellite uplink and downlink facilities operated from Kano, (ARTV premises).
In its July 2, 2025 judgment, the Federal High Court dismissed the suit, holding that NBMOA lacked ‘locus standi’, and that AREWA24 did not qualify as a broadcaster requiring licensing under the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, (NBC).
Aminu further disclosed that NBMOA has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the FIRS, (now renamed Nigeria Revenue Service, NRS), seeking investigations into AREWA24’s commercial media transactions, which the association claimed exceed $10 million.
The association also alleged tax evasion, capital flight, money laundering, and irregular advertising practices, accusing Nigerian financial institutions of complicity.
