A complaint has been filed, seeking to wound up and forfeit CNN Africa’s assets in Nigeria. The hearing has been set for September 27, 2021, before the federal high court in Lagos. KeneChukwu Okeke, a human rights activist and the plaintiff in the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1839/2020, claimed that CNN Africa and Stephanie Busari, a staff member of the news organisation, violated the provisions of sections 78, 79, and 80 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, and sections 2 (2) and 9 (1) of the National Broadcasting Commission Act, 1992 amended by creating a “multi-platform office bureau” for the production and transmission of sound and video, including featured content, via cable and satellite broadcasts in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, both unregistered and registered companies and organisations are subject to winding up procedures. In the case of unregistered companies, the courts may rule that winding up the business is fair and equitable. International corporations are also subject to prosecution if they fail to comply with the Companies and Allied Matters Act provisions.
When the federal high court reshuffled its judges, Chuka Obiozor, the case’s initial presiding judge, was redeployed to Benin. T.G. Ringim, a new judge, was assigned to hear the case. However, when the matter came up in court on Thursday, Ringim postponed the hearing until September 27. Okeke’s encounter with CNN is nothing new. The activist had petitioned a Lagos state judicial panel to summon CNN for its report on the shooting at Lekki tollgate in November 2020, claiming he had filed criminal charges against the news organisation.
Okechukwu, in a series of tweets in December 2020, accused CNN of “tax evasion among other illegalities,” adding that international media organisations “must respect the federal republic of Nigeria’s sovereignty and laws (including regulations thereof), as well as treat the population with respect, courtesy, acting with impartiality, integrity, and respect for diversity.”
