Section 21: Offences

(1) Any person, not being a registered journalist, who-
(a) for or in expectation of a reward, practises or holds himself out to practise as a registered journalist; or
(b)
without reasonable cause, takes or uses any name, title, addition or description implying that he is authorised by law to practise as a registered journalist,
is guilty of an offence under this Act:
Provided that nothing in this subsection shall be construed as amounting to a derogation from the provisions of section 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, which provides that every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression and to impart ideas and information without interference.
[Cap. C23.]
(2) If any person for the purpose of procuring the registration of any name, qualification or other matter-
(a) makes a statement which he believes to be false in a material particular; or
(b) recklessly makes a statement which is false in any material particular,
he is guilty of an offence under this Act.
(3) If the executive secretary or any other person employed by the Council, wilfully makes any falsification in any matter relating to the register, he is guilty of an offence under this Act.
(4) Where an offence under this section has been committed by a body corporate and it is proved that it was committed with the consent or connivance of, or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of any director, manager, secretary, or other person purporting to act in any such capacity he, as well as the body corporate, shall be deemed to be guilty of an offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(5) Where any person has been convicted of an offence under this section of this Act
(a)
in a High Court, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding N5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both such fine and imprisonment and to an additional fine of N200 for each day during which the offence continues; and
[1999 No. 60.]
(b)
in a Magistrate Court, he shall be liable to a fine of N3,000 and to an additional fine of N100 for each day during which the offence continues.
[1999 No. 60.]