The Benue State Government on Thursday sealed off the radio station belonging to the former President of the Senate, David Mark, in Otukpo.
Joy FM, 96.5 Otukpo, established in 2006, was the first private radio station in North-Central Nigeria.
The station, which covers at least seven states in Nigeria due to its high-frequency modulator, was invaded around 1 pm on Thursday by armed policemen who arrived in two trucks.
The team was reportedly led by the chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, Sunday Odagba, and Ikwue Ikwue of the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Staff on duty were said to have been roughly handled in the process, while Oloche Adeyi, who was in the studio casting the 1 pm network news, was forced at gunpoint to abruptly terminate the news bulletin.
The Managing Director of Joy FM, Christabel Iyanya, who confirmed the unfortunate incident to DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS, said: “They came and laid siege on the station, causing pandemonium, as nobody was aware of their coming or the reason they had to invade a running station with two trucks of armed policemen.
“They roughly handled my staff on duty, right from the receptionist, Juliana Ameh, to one of our old staff, Mallam Jibrin, to my head of news, Cletus Ogbaje, and even went to the studio with heavily armed policemen and forced Oloche Adeyi, who was reading the 1 pm news, to stop the bulletin at gunpoint.
“They entered all the offices and drove everybody out at gunpoint. Unfortunately, I was away in Igumale, Ado Local Government Headquarters, to attend to business. All our entrance doors were destroyed.”
Iyanya, who is also the National Vice-Chairman of the Broadcasters Organisation of Nigeria, BON, added: “This is the height of it. I only watch this in movies. I have never heard nor seen a media house being invaded with such a number of armed men, over what they call business premises. They said the station was owing N150,000 for business premises. This, we were not aware of.
“The people who led this operation, especially Ikwue Ikwue, are from the same locality as me. He sees me all the time. If my station was owing any bill, he should have told me, and I would have paid immediately. We have been operating for almost two decades and have never defaulted in payment of any bills or taxes whatsoever.
“This is beyond tax. This is something they will have to explain to us. This stands condemned. We are definitely going to test this.”
