Suspected political thugs on Friday night invaded a popular hotel (name withheld) in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a live Arise TV interview.
It was gathered that an Arise TV crew was conducting a live interview with a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, at the hotel when the assailants stormed the premises.
Nwibubasa was speaking on the political situation in the state at the time.
Eyewitnesses said the thugs, who were reportedly armed, broke into rooms around 9:15 pm, allegedly searching for the former commissioner and the Arise TV cameraman.
“They were chanting in their local language, forcing doors open and seizing people’s phones. Workers in the hotel started running helter-skelter,” an eyewitness said.
It was learnt that the assailants later got to the spot where the interview was ongoing and threatened the former commissioner and the Arise TV crew, forcing them to discontinue the interview.
One of the reporters with the Arise TV crew told our correspondent that he received a distress call from his colleague and immediately rushed to the hotel.
“At that point, I called the police control room and also made calls across to some of my colleagues. The police responded and said they were on their way to the hotel.
“When I arrived, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area was already on the ground with his men.
“Together with the hotel manager, they ensured that the former commissioner and the journalist were brought out of the hotel and taken to the Kala Police Station,” he said.
He added that as of the time of filing this report, the police had taken their statements.
Speaking to our correspondent, an Arise TV cameraman, identified as Promise, said, “The men seized my Sony Camera Z280, industrial tripod, wireless microphone and other accessories.”
He expressed shock over the incident, saying he had just filed a report of an event he covered earlier and immediately commenced the live interview before the assailants disrupted it.
“I had just filed that report before starting with the former commissioner on a programme called News Night when two men stormed the place and disrupted the live interview,” he said.
Promise added that the assailants made threatening remarks but fled on sighting the police, who responded to distress calls.
