Suspected political thugs on Friday night invaded a popular hotel in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a live television interview being conducted by Arise TV. The incident occurred at about 9:15 p.m. while an Arise TV crew was interviewing a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, on the political situation in the state. The name of the hotel was withheld for security reasons.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants, who were reportedly armed, stormed the hotel and broke into several rooms in an apparent search for the former commissioner and the Arise TV cameraman. The attackers were said to be chanting in a local language while forcefully opening doors and seizing mobile phones from occupants, causing panic among guests and staff who reportedly fled for safety. It was further gathered that the thugs eventually located the venue of the interview, where they allegedly threatened Dr Nwibubasa and members of the television crew, compelling them to abruptly discontinue the live broadcast. As of the time of filing this report, there was no official reaction from security agencies on the incident.