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Political Thugs Invade
radio Station, Vandalise Equipment, Injure Workers
On May
23, 2007, armed men, suspected to be political thugs invaded the
premises of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) that houses the
Oyo State radio and television stations at Orita Bashorun in Ibadan, the
Oyo State Capital in South-west Nigeria; they vandalise and carted away
broadcast equipment, disrupted the day’s broadcast and injured some
workers in the process.
The
thugs, armed with axes,
machetes and guns,
took away some broadcast equipment and also destroyed the base station
of a private telecommunications firm: Reltel Wireless Limited located in
the premises.
The thugs were allegedly led by a
former station chairman, Yaya Adetunji. A presenter Ms. Josephine
Adekola who was casting news at the time of the invasion, abandoned the
bulletin midway and was able to escaped unhurt.
It is
suspected that the invaders: thugs loyal to the local political
godfather, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu and the governor-elect, Otunba
Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, who is also the Deputy Governor went on
rampage following repaeted announcements from the radio station by the
State Independent Electoral Commission that Local government Election
would hold in the state on May 25, 2007.
A
coalition of 11 political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party
under the aegis of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties had tried
unsuccessfully to secure a court injunction to stop Alhaji Rashidi
Ladoja, Governor of Oyo State from conducting the election.
The
thugs, numbering over 100, arrived the premises of the BCOS in a convoy
of 28 buses at about 5.00pm and shot sporadically into the air to scare
away workers, business people and visitors in the vicinity who all fled
for their lives.
No less
than 10 staffers of the Corporation suffered machete cuts in varying
degrees in the raid which lasted for about an hour.
Some
vehicles packed at the premises were also vandalized.
Having
done with vandalizing equipment at BCOS, the thugs proceeded to the Mapo
Hall where they also vandalised equipment for the FM arm of the BCOS.
A staff
of the Corporation who spoke under anonymity disclosed that his and the
lives of some workers of the Corporation were at stake.
The State Police
command arrested about 10 people but no legal action was taken against
them.
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