Police Brutalise Arise TV Cameraman

Police Brutalise Arise TV Cameraman

Chiemelie Ezeobi

Some policemen attached to the FCT Police Command on Sunday attacked and brutalised
Ogbonna Francis, a cameraman with Arise TV, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper.

The attack occured after Francis left the Force Headquarters where he covered the press briefing by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who announced the disbamdment of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

Speaking to THISDAY, Francis said on his way he ran into a group of protesters who he tried to interview to get their take on the latest development on SARS.

While the interview was on, he said some policemen swooped on them and unleashed water cannons and tear gas on the crowd.

He said: “We went for the briefing because we were invited and on our way back after the briefing, we saw some youths at the Federal Secretariat, so we stopped to interview them.

“Suddenly, the police appeared from nowhere and started shooting water cannons and tear gas at us.
I ran for safety but four of them came after me.

“They repeatedly hit me with their batons and a long stick. They broke my camera and also my identify card when I tried to identify myself.

“As I continuously screamed that I was a journalist on duty, they shouted expletives at me as they hit me repeatedly. Some were even egging others to shoot me.”

Francis said he was left in a pool of his own blood after the policemen had satisfied their quest to brutalise him.

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