Security operatives believed to be from the State Security Service on Friday broke into the Abuja office of CoreTV, a cable and satelite broadcaster, carting away broadcasting and other related equipment.
Olajide Adediran, the CoreTV managing director, told PREMIUM TIMES the operatives also shut down the station and barricaded the area during the operation around 4:00 a.m. Friday, even though the media house had no history with the secret police.
“They have never formally notified us of any wrongdoing,” Mr. Adediran told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone. “This takes us entirely by surprise.”
Mr. Adeniran said 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,” Mr. Adediran said.
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.
Equipment that the operatives carted away included office computers, digital cameras, documents amongst other properties of the station.
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently confirm that SSS was responsible for the assault on CoreTV, and the agency’s refusal to appoint a spokesperson running close to two years did little to help all efforts to get clarification.
