An Ogoni group has accused the Rivers State Police Command of shielding those responsible for an attack on an ARISE TV news crew and a guest during a live broadcast in Port Harcourt.
According to reports the incident occurred on Friday at a hotel in the Orazi area of the state capital while the crew was interviewing Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment.
The Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that unidentified armed youths disrupted the interview and assaulted members of the television crew.
According to ARISE TV reporter Andy Omano, the police were alerted immediately, and the Divisional Police Officer later arrived at the scene with his team. Iringe-Koko said police intervention prevented further harm and that all equipment seized from the journalists, including cameras, had been recovered.
However, Ogoni-born political management consultant Joe Korka-Waadah criticised the police for failing to arrest any of the attackers. He alleged that the perpetrators were being shielded due to undue influence, describing the incident as a threat to free expression and democratic values.
Korka-Waadah said the attack, which occurred on Ogoni Day, was symbolic and deeply troubling, recalling the historical persecution of the Ogoni people. He described the assault on Dr Nwibubasa as an attack on the entire Ogoni nation and warned against rising political intimidation ahead of the 2027 elections.
He further argued that the absence of arrests despite the attackers being visible amounted to aiding criminality.
