Chaos In Benue: Armed Policemen Storm Former Senate President’s Radio Station, Shut Down Transmission

A team of armed policemen reportedly raided Joy FM, a radio station owned by former Senate President David Mark, in Otukpo, Benue State, on Thursday.

The police, who arrived around 1 pm, allegedly forced Oloche Adeyi, who was presenting the 1 pm news, to halt the broadcast at gunpoint.

According to the station’s Managing Director, Christabel Iyanya, some staff members were also manhandled during the incident before the police sealed off the station. The operation was reportedly led by Sunday Odagba, chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), and Ikwue Ikwue from the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, who claimed the station owed for business premises.

Iyanya described the situation as chaotic, noting that the staff was caught off guard and the raid was completely unannounced. She explained that the police forcibly removed everyone from the premises, with staff members including the receptionist, Juliana Ameh, and senior staff like Mallam Jibrin and Cletus Ogbaje, being roughly handled. The armed police even entered the studio, interrupting Adeyi’s live news broadcast.

Iyanya, who was away on business, stated that the station was not in arrears regarding tax payments, and if the authorities had notified them, the debt would have been settled immediately. She expressed shock at the scale of the operation, stating she had never seen a media house invaded in such a manner. The alleged N150,000 owed for business premises was news to her, and she emphasized that proper communication could have resolved the matter without such drastic action.