A journalist, Steven Deegbara was on Monday assaulted by thugs attached to the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP.
Deegbara, the publisher of Cross Country Reporters and an environmental activist was part of the team who protested the inefficiencies of the environmental cleanup being carried out by the agency.
Recall that the House of Representatives committee on environment visited several impacted communities on a fact-finding mission to ascertain the level of implementation of the ongoing clean up.
The committee members specifically visited lot 10,11 and 12 Mogho in Gokhana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
As the protesters were making their opinion known to the house committee, thugs said to be employed by HYPREP attacked them where Deegbara was beaten to stupor.
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There has been criticism over the handling of the clean up by the Marvin Dekil-led HYPREP.
Several stakeholders, including the Rivers State Government, have referred to the clean up as a fraud because the agency has refused to abide by the UNEP recommendation on how the clean up should be conducted.
According to local sources, the journalist was rushed to a hospital where he is undergoing treatment.
HYPREP did not immediately respond to request for comments as at the time of filing this report.
