The northwest and center of the most populous country on the African continent are the prey of violence from gangs of armed men who attack villages to loot them and kidnap residents to demand ransoms.
The report "The Bandit warlords of Zamfara" broadcast on the BBC television program "Africa Eye" gives voice to members of these gangs but also to victims to document the violence in Zamfara State.
Trust TV, part of a local Daily Trust media group, also aired an interview with a well-known gang leader in a documentary about the violence.
Information Minister Mohammed Lai told reporters that the national broadcasting commission was investigating whether the two outlets breached broadcasting regulations.
"I can assure you that there will be consequences," added the minister.
"They won't get away with this glorification of terrorism and banditry in Nigeria," he said.
In a statement on Thursday evening, the BBC defended the work of its reporters and said it was standing by the report.
“BBC Africa Eye often deals with controversial and complex topics,” she said.
"This reporting is to a large extent in the public interest and the BBC sticks to its journalism," she added.
Nigeria considers criminal gangs to be terrorist groups, in part to give the military more flexibility in fighting them.
Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced by violence in northwestern and central Nigeria in recent years.
Last year, the Nigerian government shut down Twitter for seven months after the platform deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari and officials criticized him for allowing posts from separatists in the country's southeast.
Abuja lifted the suspension after talks with Twitter.
The suspension sparked an international outcry over free speech, shocking many in Nigeria, where Twitter plays a major role in political discourse, including the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls after the abduction of more than 300 schoolgirls in 2014 by Boko Haram Islamists.
© 2022 AFP