Some hoodlums allegedly sponsored by the government on Wednesday morning attacked a Channels TV journalist, Deborah Agbalam, while she was covering the #EndBadGovernance protests in the state.
It was learnt that the politically sponsored thugs positioned themselves directly opposite the Federal Secretariat in Port Harcourt, intimidating and chasing away protesters
Eyewitnesses reported that prior to the journalists’ arrival, two protesters had been assaulted while police officers nearby failed to intervene.
Additionally, the journalists were allegedly encircled and intimidated by the thugs, who declared their intention to prevent any protest from occurring.
“Before journalists arrived, two protesters were beaten as police stood by. The thugs then surrounded and threatened the journalists, vowing to suppress the protest,” the eyewitness was quoted.
The Federal Secretariat on the Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway has been a gathering point for the protesters for the past seven days of the hunger and end bad governance protest.
According to the Daily Post, the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Olatunji Disu, condemned the incident and pledged a comprehensive investigation to hold those responsible accountable and prevent such incidents from happening again.
Recall that Rivers State Commissioner of Police, who has visited the protest sites severally in the past days, had ensured that his men remained professional and ensured peace and orderliness among the protesters since the commencement of the protests.
Wednesday makes it Day 7 of the nationwide protest which later turned violent in some northern states.
Reporters had earlier broken the news about how thousands of Nigerians gathered in the streets of Ibadan, Oyo State and Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Wednesday morning to continue the nationwide protests against poor governance and economic hardship that had been sweeping across the country.
In a series of tweets made by the Take-It-Back Movement, the large crowds of demonstrators were seen in both ancient cities, demanding action from the government to address the country’s pressing issues.
The protests, which had been ongoing for the past seven days, show no signs of slowing down as citizens continue to voice their discontent with the current state of affairs.
In Ibadan, the protesters were seen at Agbowo-UI area of the town, while in PortHarcourt, they were seen storming major streets in the southeastern state.
TIB wrote, “LIVE from Agbowo-UI, IBADAN. Day 7: PortHarcourt marching against bad Governance #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.”
