TheCable

Journalists Taiwo George of TheCable and Isah Okhueleigbe of Tell magazine have been robbed by hoodlums in Rivers state while covering the ongoing governorship and state houses of assembly election in the state.

The journalists were on their way to Ubima, Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s village in Ikwerra local government, when youths armed with cutlasses and bottles waylaid them at Omawa Junction.

Their phones, cameras, laptops and cash were seized in the raid.

“They asked us who we were and we said we were journalists,” George said while narrating his ordeal.

“They said we were lying, that we were not journalists, so they started harassing us. They even assaulted the driver. They took us into another vehicle and dispossessed us of our belongings: our work gadgets and cash.”

He said the incident was reported to the community leader, who promised to find the thugs, but nothing had happened as at press time.

“We also met some youth corps members and they said thugs collected results sheets and other electoral materials from them. They claimed the thugs were working for PDP,” he added.

“They thought we were the ones who were responsible. Voting is not going on there presently but it is going on in other parts of the state, with numerous reports of electoral malpractice and ballot box snatching.”

George also covered the presidential election in Rivers state and expressed shock at the result that was subsequently declared in favour of the PDP by INEC.

“Election did not hold on Saturday in almost all parts of the state, and I waited back till Sunday to see if it would continue, but nothing happened on the second day as well,” he said on returning.

“It was two days of violence, intimidation of voters and sheer use of brute force to disrupt public peace.”