Government to block all illegal radio stations include those of Ipob, NDA and Boko Haram

GOVERNMENT communication officials have announced plans to block illegal radio stations operating across the country including those owned by Boko Haram and the Indigenous People of Bi­afra (Ipob).

 

Earlier this month, Boko Haram launched a radio station on 96.8FM aimed at propagating its views to local people across northeast Nigeria in response to the growing military setbacks its has suffered of late. Ipob too has a radio station which it operates in the southeast on which it calls for Igbos to secede from Nigeria.

 

Militant group the Niger Delta Avengers also own an illegal radio station and in a bid to end these broadcasts, the government is planning to block their transmissions. Communications minister Adebayo Shittu, said that the government plans to deploy four International Radio Monitoring Stations (Irms) across the country to counter these illegal radio broadcasts.

 

Irms facilities are located in Azare in Bauchi State, Gusau in Zamfara State, Ipaja in Lagos State and Ogoja in Cross River State. Mr Shittu, said the FG was in the process of rehabilitating the moribund Irms and would thereafter deploy them to counter any radio or internet broadcast capable of undermining the country’s national security.

 

He added: “The Irms are strategically located in various parts of the country as security surveillance to monitor radio broadcast activities, so as to guide against illegal use of the radio frequency airspace for unauthorised broadcasts by proscribed groups, political and ethnic motivated dissidents. The Federal Ministry of Communications has adequately appropriated for rehabilitation works on the Irms facilities across the country in the 2016."