SSS Invades AIT: Stops Political Broadcast!

Gun-wielding men of the State Security Service on Tuesday invaded the Abuja station of the African Independent Television and carted away tapes and recording materials.

According to eyewitnesses, the security agents drove into the premises about 3pm when the station was airing a documentary on Nigeria‘s political development.

They were said to have harassed the workers and beat up those in charge of the documentary.

When our correspondent visited the AIT office, the General Manager, Mr. Imoni Mark Amarere, had left for the headquarters of the SSS.

Members of staff of the station were seen in front of the building discussing the incident.

One of them who craved anonymity told our correspondent that the SSS operatives pointed their guns at the workers and demanded that the broadcast be stopped.

The AIT management, in a statement recounted the station‘s ordeal in the hands of the security agents.

The statement read in part, ”Security operatives at gun point gained access into the Raypower studio and later forced their way into the Master Control facility of Africa Independent Television, AIT.

“The raiding team violently forced broadcast operatives out of the radio studio and knocked the station off the air.

“At the Master Control facility of the AIT, the rampaging five-member team at gun point ordered the three control room officers, two of them women, to lie face down before carrying out their mission.

“They forcibly removed a broadcast tape of a documentary being aired at the time of the invasion.

“The same group of security operatives returned at about half an hour later in a J5 Space bus, ash colour with no registration number, made for the Master Control Room of Africa Independent Television, AIT and removed every available broadcast material.

“Some of our staff have also reported that their handsets were seized by the invading team on suspicion that their phones were being used to film the invasion.”

Source: - http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200704182474067

I no fit shout again o!     

Is the press not supposed to be independent? 

Are there no laws in our land? 

Are there no bodies assigned the task of monitoring T.V. broadcasts and taking the right legal actions against infringement of broadcasting laws? 

May God help us oooooooooo. This is supposed to be a democratic nation isnt it.

i was wondering why AIT has been offline for the past three days.

as uncle sege said,this elections na DO or DIE!!!

This is getting really scary o!

Maybe it's because of national interest that the government had to close the station down you know?
Or is AIT more important than Nigeria?

Opuro,

What has national interest got to do with this. We should learn to draw a distinction between so called national interest and individual rights. The  Government should have employed a more civilised way to penalise AIT than resulting to such jungle and barbaric acts. Remember, AIT owes the public the duty to educate and inform them of all activities.

we seem 2 b getting everything wrong in this country.God help us.

this is not a question of party but the who in you. I would appreciate this fight between the President and his Vice if it was in the first term or early part of this tenure. I asked this question WHY NOW? Didn't the VP knows his president before, why didn't he tell us that the government of PDP is bad before now. My dear don't be deceived they know themselves better than we do

I'm not campaigning for anybody but like I always said listen to your conscience and do what it tells you.

 thanks Razzor for posting this!

i have actually asked what happened to AIT and was told that their premises burnt!

heard it from a couple of people, just wondering who came up with that line!

anyway, khaki must always exhibits its khakiness!

it is such a huge shame that we are talking democracy yet this sought of thing is happening

besides why do they always pick on AIT?
remember the period of the bellview crash?they had similar problem,
and to think that Dokpesi is a member of PDP

boils down to grabing a long spoon when dinning with the devil.

what a shame!

What has AIT done to deserve all this? Were they campaigning for Atiku? 

If AIT is breaching the contract, they should be charged to court and possibly withdraw their licence. Yet Nigerians deserve the right to know what the offence is.

The way AIT monitored and followed that madness called eletion last saturday is enough to anger the "gods" in Aso Rock.  I will be more inclined to believe that they are in trouble for trying to tell Nigerians the truth.

If they had said the election was free and fair, OBJ will personally go to the station to give them award.

We are operating a very dangerous system.  Our system is responsible for producing such characters as Obasanjo and except we do something to the system, the chances of producing one worse than him is there.

I feel for AIT, but then what else can we do?

Someone has to stop Obasanjo O!

I am beginning to like Atiku! 

Seun

How would  you feel if SSS visited your office and carted away your computers. Simply because your were posting some dissenting opinions on your website?

I always tell you that you are biased when you talk about Atiku and OBJ. You always portray Atiku as  Nigeria's greatest evil. OBJ is no less.  Press freedom should be respected. If  not, SSS maybe knocking on your door mext.