The Benue State Government sealed off Joy FM 96.5 Otukpo, a radio station owned by former Senate President Dr. David Mark, in a forceful operation on Thursday.
Around 1 pm, two trucks of armed policemen stormed the station, led by Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) Chairman, Sunday Odagba, and Ikwue Ikwue of the State Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Otukpo Zone. Staff members were allegedly manhandled, and broadcaster Oloche Adeyi was forced at g¥npoint to stop reading the 1 pm news.
Joy FM’s Managing Director, Amb. Christabel Iyanya, condemned the invasion. “They stormed the station, d+stroyed entrance doors, and evicted staff at g¥npoint. Even my head of news and receptionist were hara§§ed. I was away in Igumale at the time,” she said.
Authorities claimed the shutdown was due to an outstanding N150,000 business premises fee, but Iyanya refuted this, stating, “We were unaware of any debt. If we owed, we would have paid immediately. We’ve never defaulted in nearly two decades of operation.”
Questioning the true motive behind the action, Iyanya, also Deputy National Chairman of the Society of Nigerian Broadcasters (SNB), vowed to challenge it. “This is beyond tax. They must explain this. It stands condemned, and we will contest it,” she asserted.
