VIDEO: Police Invade ABN TV Studio During Live Show in Abia, Arrest Guest

An incident that has sparked controversy and concerns over press freedom and human rights recently took place as officers from the Abia State Police Command allegedly stormed the ABN TV studio in Umuahia during a live broadcast, arresting a guest on the show, Mr. Udensi Donald.

The incident occurred during the “Youth Rendezvous” program, hosted by Grace Onyekachi. The Director of ABN TV/Radio, Ifeanyi Okali, has expressed his dismay at the invasion and called for an apology from the police.

The Director of ABN TV/Radio, Ifeanyi Okali, took to his Facebook page to condemn the invasion, labeling it a provocation against press freedom and human rights.

In his words;

We are worried by the invasion of our broadcast station in Umuahia by officers of the Nigerian Police, Umuahia Area Command in Abia State.

According to Okali, the police officers from the Umuahia Area Command arrived at the station during a live broadcast on January 16, 2023, at approximately 2:40 pm.

He added;

At about 2:40pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2023, the policemen invaded our station during a live programme to arrest our guest, one Mr. Udensi Donald during a programme, Youth Rendezvous.

Their mission was to arrest Mr. Udensi Donald, who was a guest on the “Youth Rendezvous” program.

The police cited a petition allegedly written by Mr. Udensi Donald’s senior brother, Mr. Uche Onwuka Udensi, regarding a family matter as the reason for the arrest.

Despite pleas from the station’s staff to allow the live program to conclude before taking action, the officers insisted on apprehending the guest while the show was ongoing.

The police claimed a senior brother of the guest, one Mr Uche Onwuka Udensi had written a petition against him over a family matter.

Despite repeated plea by our staff to the officers to allow the programme come to an end before the guest could be arrested, they insisted on whisking him away while the live programme was on.

Ifeanyi Okali expressed his concerns, stating that the police officers’ actions were not only provocative but also in clear contravention of established engagement rules.

He highlighted that such behavior contradicts the promoted police-civil relations advocated by the Commissioner of Police, CP Kene Onwuemeile.

During the invasion, Okali claimed that some items belonging to the station were damaged, further fueling the controversy surrounding the incident.

See the video below;