By Davies Iheamnachor
Armed youths believed to be political thugs on Friday night invaded an hotel in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State and disrupted a live programme conducted by a popular TV station.
The thugs, who forced the live interview to end halfway, allegedly carted away camera and other equipment belonging to the station.
It was learned that the TV crew was conducting a live interview with a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, at the said hotel when the assailants stormed the premises.
It was alleged that Nwibubasa was speaking on the political situation in Rivers when a man who was standing at the hotel’s lounge called in the assailants.
A source, who declined giving out his name, alleged that the thugs were armed and invaded the hotel around 9:15pm.
The source alleged that the former Commissioner and the TV crew escaped by the whiskers, adding that the angry thugs broke into rooms in search of the duo.
It narrated: “They were chanting in their local language (Ikwerre) that they would not allow such interview on their land. They were forcing doors open searching for the former Commissioner and the TV guys.
“The workers in the hotel started running helter-skelter. They later got to the spot where the interview was holding and started threatening the former Commissioner and the TV crew to discontinue the interview and forced them to stop.”
A reporter with the TV crew reached out to the police for distress.
He said: “At that point I called the police control room and also put a call across to 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 TV crew came down and were taken out of the hotel to the Kala Police Station where they made statements on what transpared.”
Nwibubassa condemned the attack, stating that the development is not healthy in a democracy.
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