January 18, (THEWILL) – IPC’s Centre for Safety and Protection of Journalists (I-CSPJ) is extremely dismayed and frowns at the reported police invasion of ABN TV and forced arrest of a guest during a live programme in Umuahia on Tuesday, January 16, 2024.
Information reaching I-CSPJ from its field monitor reveals that “At about 2:40 pm, on Tuesday, January 16, 2023, the policemen invaded the station during a live programme, Youth Rendezvous, to arrest a guest, Mr Udensi Donald during a programme.”
“The police claimed a senior brother of the guest had written a petition against him over a family matter. Despite repeated pleas by the staff to the officers to allow the programme to come to an end before the guest could be arrested, they insisted on whisking him away while the live programme was on,” the Station Director, Ifeanyi Okali, stated.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade said, “This provocative action by the police is simply an act of overzealousness which was unnecessary. The officers could easily have waited for the live programme to end before swinging into action.”
I-CSPJ is therefore calling on the Commissioner of Police, CP Kene Onwuemeile, to call his officers to order and also ensure that the items belonging to the station which were damaged in the course of the invasion be replaced.
I-CSPJ is also demanding an apology on behalf of the affected station.
