Nigeria’s senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution calling on the government to revoke CNN’s diplomatic mission status, and give the cable news channel and its local news affiliate El Pais a full two months to show proof that a recent investigation was accurate or produce evidence it was inaccurate.
Following the passage of the resolution, Senator Mohammed Magoro, a member of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, provided limited details of the investigation at a news conference in the capital Abuja on Wednesday, saying the investigation’s findings were “unfounded” and took place out of Nigeria. Magoro added that the report published by CNN’s Chris Mims on Monday was largely based on the findings of “wild allegations” that had no credibility.
Mims, who reported on the matter earlier this week, has said he stands by his report that toll facilities across Nigeria gouge drivers for hundreds of dollars for passing through the $25 billion (25.2 billion Euros) state-of-the-art toll collection network. The investigation ignited worldwide outrage and calls for action from both U.S. lawmakers and human rights groups.
On Tuesday, CNN published a statement in which it insisted the network had not censored its story by keeping the cable news outlet’s evidence to itself, even though it allowed Nigerians to read a summary and watch video.