Armed youths believed to be political thugs on Friday night invaded a hotel in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State and disrupted a live broadcast conducted by Arise Television.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
The thugs, who forced the live interview to end midway, carted away cameras and other equipment belonging to the media organisation.
It was learned that a team of Arise TV crew were conducting a live interview with a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, at the hotel when the assailants stormed the premises.
It was alleged that Nwibubasa, who was appearing on the live programme News Night, was discussing the political situation in the state and raising issues not aligned with the views of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, when a man at the hotel’s lounge alerted the assailants.
A source, who declined to give his name, alleged that the thugs were armed and invaded the hotel at about 9:15 p.m.
The source further alleged that both the former commissioner and the Arise TV cameraman narrowly escaped, adding that the angry thugs, who claimed the interview sounded anti-Wike and was conducted in their territory, broke into rooms in search of the duo.
The source narrated: “They were chanting in their local language (Ikwerre) that they would not allow such an interview on their land. They were forcing doors open, searching for the former commissioner and the Arise TV crew.
“The workers in the hotel started running helter-skelter. They later got to the spot where the interview was taking place and started threatening the former commissioner and the Arise crew to discontinue the interview, forcing them to stop.”
A reporter with Arise TV, Mr Andy Omano, who also escaped the scene, reached out to the police for help.
He said: “At that point, I called the police control room and also contacted some of my colleagues. The police responded and said they were on their way to the hotel.
“The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area arrived with his men. Together with the hotel manager, they ensured that the commissioner and the journalist came down and were taken out of the hotel to the Kala Police Station, where they made statements on what transpired.”
The Arise TV cameraman, Promise, narrating his ordeal, said: “The men seized my Sony Z280 camera, industrial tripod, wireless microphone, and other accessories.
“I had just filed that report before starting with the former commissioner on a programme called News Night when two men stormed the place and disrupted the live programme.”
Promise said the thugs took to their heels upon sighting the police.
However, the former commissioner said it took the intervention of police officers deployed to the scene to rescue them and bring them out of the hotel.
Nwibubasa condemned the attack, stating that such actions are unhealthy in a democracy.
He said: “I was already rounding off the interview and speaking about the forthcoming 2027 general elections. They (the assailants) are already showing us signs of what will happen. See how they were breaking doors looking for me. Why? This is a free society.”
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