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Nigeria’s
Anti-Corruption Agency Raids and Seals up Radio Station
On December 2, 2006,
agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria's
anti corruption agency, raided the privately owned radio station Cosmo
FM, based in Enugu in south-eastern Nigeria. They arrested some staff,
took away documents belonging to the station house and shut it down for
about two hours.
The EFCC operatives in a
commando style stormed the station at about 3pm accompanied by over 20
armed anti-riot policemen in three mini buses and a Honda car, on the
suspicion that it belongs to the Enugu State governor, Dr. Chimaroke
Nnamani, whom the agency was investigating on corruption charges.
The EFCC agents also
raided a telecommunication company, Rainbownet Limited located in the
same building complex which houses the radio station in Ebeano Housing
Estate in Enugu. At the telecommunication company, the operatives
removed documents and arrested some of the staff, but allowed the
company to continue its operations.
When Media Foundation for
West Africa, Nigeria’s correspondent spoke with Mr. Jika Attoh, Managing
Director and CEO of Cosmo FM, in a telephone interview, he confirmed
that the EFCC raided Cosmo FM without a warrant and in the process
yanked some cables which put the station off air for about two hours. He
said he was at Owerri, in neighbouring Imo State, at a meeting with the
broadcasting regulating authority, the National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC), when the EFCC raided the station.
Mr. Attoh added that the
EFCC agents arrested two staff members of the station and an intern.
While the intern was released almost immediately, the two others,
Onyechi Okechukwu of the Marketing Department, and Christian Umeha, the
accountant, were taken away. Onyechi was subsequently released but Umeha
remains in custody.
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