Media veterans, publishers and media managers under the auspices of Port Harcourt Press have condemned the attack by an armed group on an ARISE Television crew in Port Harcourt on Friday (2/1/26) while conducting an interview.
Addressing Newsmen at a world press conference held on Thursday, January 8, 2026, the team led by Rt. Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, Sir Ngo Martyns Yellowe, and Rev’d Canon Jerry Needam, decried the unprovoked attack on the ARISE TV production team conducting an interview with former Rivers State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasa, at a hotel in Port Harcourt.
While describing the incident as an assault on press freedom and a dangerous sign of rising political intolerance in Rivers State, the group regretted that the armed men forcefully disrupted the interview and carted away broadcast equipment.
According to the body, the incident amounted to intimidation of the media and a direct threat to lives, warning that society comes under siege when journalism is threatened.
The group expressed concern over allegations by Dr. Nwibubasa that the attackers openly boasted that any statement made against their leader, former Rivers State Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, would be resisted and those involved dealt with.
They described such conduct as barbaric and outdated politics and condemned what they called a resort to intimidation and brigandage in the pursuit of power and relevance.
The media veterans also faulted the Rivers State Police Command over the handling of the incident, alleging that although the stolen broadcast equipment was reportedly recovered, no arrests had been made.
They further claimed that despite the interviewee reportedly naming one of the alleged perpetrators, no immediate action was taken by the police, raising fears of possible compromise and complicity.
The body demanded an urgent and thorough investigation into the attack, as well as the arrest and prosecution of all those involved within two weeks, warning that failure to act decisively could attract sanctions, including the withdrawal of media coverage of police activities in Rivers State, in solidarity with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
The group, therefore, appealed to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju Adewole, to demonstrate commitment to justice by ensuring a transparent investigation.
According to the group, the attack appeared to be a test-run of a broader plan to intimidate journalists and stifle the press ahead of future elections.
They strongly cautioned politicians against heating up the polity and urged those who could not play by democratic rules to quit the political space.
In a strongly worded statement, the body called on the former Governor of Rivers State to exercise restraint, urging him to conduct himself as a statesman and help promote peace, tolerance and non-violent politics in Rivers State.
They noted that inflammatory statements and actions could only push the state towards instability, and made it clear that any attempt to suppress the free press was a dangerous step towards dictatorship.
