On November 10, 2022, a group of journalists who were covering and assessing the level of damage at the site of a building under construction at the Stephen Keshi International Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, which had collapsed, were attacked and bundled out of the stadium on the orders of the Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Mr. Tonobok Okowa.
The journalists who were assaulted by the Commissioner’s aides were Paul Osuyi of the Sun Newspaper, Monday Osayande of Guardian Newspaper, and Amaechi Okwara of Blueprint Newspaper.
Mr. Okowa, who doubles as the Co-Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the National Sports Festival scheduled to hold at the stadium on November 28, 2022, also ordered his aides to confiscate the working tools of the reporters.
The Commissioner ordered his men: “Take them out of this place; journalists are not needed.”
When the aides were reluctant in carrying out the order, he shouted, “Are they still here? Collect their gadgets and bundle them out of here.”
There upon, the men swooped on and beat up the journalists using different objects.
