Posted by AFP on
Nigeria accused the United States Cable News Network (CNN) of waging a "campaign of calumny" because it re-aired a recent documentary that portrays a group of Nigerian citizens as criminals.
ABUJA (AFP) - Nigeria accused the United States Cable News Network (CNN) of waging a "campaign of calumny" because it re-aired a recent documentary that portrays a group of Nigerian citizens as criminals.
The information ministry expressed concern that the documentary titled 'How to Rob a Bank' was shown Sunday to North American audiences despite a protest filed by Nigeria after it was first broadcast on June 10, 2006.
"This is no doubt a clear indication that CNN is on a campaign of calumny against Nigeria," a ministry statement said, accusing the channel of putting out a "a malicious and denigrating portrayal of Nigeria based... on the alleged criminal activities of a few Nigerians resident in the United States, particularly in Houston."
Nigeria has issued a "strong protest," the statement added, urging CNN "to let the world know what courageous efforts Nigeria has made to fight crimes."
President Olusegun Obasanjo has made fighting crime and official corruption a key part of his policies, but many of his compatriots consider that criminal activities have corroded the country's institutions.