The military authorities in Niger Republic has suspended BBC Radio for three months for allegedly “spreading false news” in its reportage of jihadists attacks where it said around 90 Nigerien soldiers were killed on Wednesday.

According to reports, the British broadcaster had reported on its website in Hausa on Wednesday that gunmen had killed more than 90 Nigerien soldiers and more than 40 civilians in two villages near the border with Burkina Faso.

The report was rebroadcasted by other international outlets like the French broadcaster, Radio France International, (RFI), which also reported on the attack, calling it a jihadi attack and citing the same death toll.

But the Nigerien authorities denied that an attack happened in the area in a statement read on state television and said it would file a complain against the outlets for “incitement to genocide.”

A statement by Communications Minister, Raliou Sidi Mohamed, which announced the suspension, accused the British media outlet of spreading erroneous information on the attacks.

The military junta added that the ban on the BBC was as a result of airing “erroneous information likely to destabilise social peace and undermine the morale of the troops fighting jihadists” and will come into force with immediate effect” countrywide.

“BBC broadcasts false information aimed at destabilizing social calm and undermining the troops’ morale,” Mohamed said in letters sent to radio stations that rebroadcast the BBC content, mandating the stations to suspend BBC’s programs with immediate effect.

Though the media outfit has not commented on the suspension, popular BBC programs, including those in Hausa which is the most-spoken language in Niger, will be affected by the suspension of the BBC services.

Foremost Zambian music star, Elton Mulenga, popularly known as Yo Maps, has cried out over cyberbullying targeting his wife and young daughter.

Yo Maps who filed a case at the Lusaka Magistrates’ Court, accused a Facebook blogger, Elias Musyani, of orchestrating the cyberbullying and hate speech.

The singer who testified before the court, recounted how Musyani targeted his wife, Kidist Kifle, with derogatory names, referring to her as a “prostitute” and a “witch” in multiple social media posts.

He said the online attack also extended to his infant daughter, whom he said Musyani mockingly called “gumugumu”, a local Zambian word for a monitor lizard.

Yo Maps testified that Musyani’s harassment spanned several months, citing an incident on April 20, 2024, where Musyani allegedly posted threats of abduction and rape, claiming he knew the locations of Kidist’s gym and their child’s daycare.

“He said he could come and rape my wife in front of me,” he told the court.

He noted that despite an earlier attempt to resolve the issue amicably, Musyani allegedly continued his attacks, even posting recordings of phone conversations with him.

“In that conversation, he called my wife a prostitute and threatened to send thugs to kidnap my child,” he said, adding that he had preserved evidence of the posts and conversations on his phone and a flash drive.

Zambia Monitor reports that
Musyani faces charges under Zambia’s Cyber Security and Cyber Crimes Act No. 2 of 2021, which seeks to curb online abuse and protect victims of cyberbullying.

Though he pleaded not guilty, the court denied his plea bargain request, setting the stage for a full trial, as hearing has been adjourned to January 10, 2025, due to technical challenges in accessing audio evidence submitted by Mulenga.