Police Storm Radio/TV station, Arrest Guest During Live Show in Abia

A live show on ABN, a Radio/TV online station based in Umuahia, was disrupted on Tuesday when policemen barged into the studio and arrested a guest, Mr Udensi Donald.

Donald was participating in a program called “Youth Rendezvous” when the officers showed up with their identity cards and took him away without explaining his crime. They later revealed that he was wanted over a petition filed by his elder brother on a family issue.

A viral video on social media captured the moment the staff of ABN and the guests tried to reason with the policemen and asked them to either wait for the program to finish or disclose his offense before arresting him. The officers ignored their appeals and forcefully dragged the man out of the studio, ending the program abruptly.

The Director of ABN Radio/TV, Mr Ifeanyi Okali, condemned the actions of the policemen, saying that they damaged some equipment, including a microphone, a laptop and a camera, during the scuffle.

He said the invasion occurred around 2:40 pm on Tuesday and violated the rule of engagement and the police-civil relations that the Commissioner of Police, CP Kene Onwuemelie, had been advocating for.

Okali also complained that when he and his staff went to the CP’s office to explain what happened, they were met with hostility and intimidation by some police officers who threatened to arrest them as well. He demanded that the Abia State Police Command should replace the destroyed equipment and apologize for the unwarranted invasion.

The Command has not responded to ABN management’s statement as of the time of writing this report. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Maureen Chinaka, was unreachable on phone and did not reply to messages.