In what seems like an endless clampdown on media houses in the country, security operatives believed to be from the State Security Service, SSS on Friday again stormed the Abuja office of a private Nigerian satellite television, CoreTV carting away certain broadcasting equipment.
According to a report by Premium Times, the operatives also shut down the station and barricaded the area during the operation around 4:00 a.m. on Friday.
The station’s managing director, Olajide Adediran told Premium Times in an interview that the SSS officials did not inform the station prior to their visit or formally invited them over for any questioning.
“They have never formally notified us of any wrongdoing.” This takes us entirely by surprise,” Adeniran said.
Adeniran said when he arrived the office, at 34, Sokode Crescent, Zone 5, Wuse, on Friday morning with his staff, but quickly realised that their access into the area had been denied.
“The entire stretch of the street has been barricaded,” Adeniran explained.
He said there are signs pasted on the walls of about four buildings in the area that they have been sealed by a court order.
“But even if there’s a court order, why should it be in the middle of the night that they will enforce it and why should they carry our systems and files?” He said.
According to the report, equipment that the operatives carted away included office computers, digital cameras, documents amongst other properties of the station.
TheNewsGuru.com recalls that on Thursday, 19 January, officials of the Nigeria Police Force raided the Premium Times head office in Abuja, and arrested the newspaper’s publisher.
TheNewsGuru.com is however yet to establish if the officials that stormed CoreTV are from the SSS.