Armed thugs, suspected to have been hired by a faction of
Trade Union Congress in Osun State, on Tuesday in Osogbo,
attacked journalists and thoroughly beat up a cameraman of
Channels Television, Mr. Oloyede Oyegbenle, before seizing his
camera.
The thugs were brought in a TUC branded bus by some
workers, who led them to the main gate of the Osun State
Secretariat.
The hoodlums, on sighting the policemen deployed in the
place, had hesitated before unleashing attack on the
journalists and went on full offensive against the newsmen
when they observed that the policemen did not stop them.
The thugs threw bottles, pegs, and other dangerous weapons
at journalists, who were at the venue to cover the strike
action.
About eight of the hoodlums pounced on the Channels
cameraman and started ‘pounding’ him with pestles and clubs
before they succeeded in taking away his camera by force.
Oyegbenle, who was dragged away from the scene by his
colleagues, was treated briefly by an Osun State Ambulance,
called to the scene by some workers, who had resumed for
work.
He was later taken to a hospital where he was treated.
Surprisingly, the armed policemen, who were at the scene
before the arrival of the hoodlums, failed to rescue the
journalists when they were being beaten.
The faction of the TUC, led by Mr. Francis Adetunji, and
workers loyal to him, were said to have come to enforce a
three-day warning strike the union had called.
The Adetunji-led faction of the TUC had wanted the proposed
strike to commence on Tuesday but the Chairman of TUC, Mr.
Akinyemi Olatunji, is opposed to the planned strike.
However, effort by the journalists to incident the case at the
Ataoja Estate Police Station and the police station inside the
state secretariat, were unsuccessful.
The Divisional Police Officer of the Ataoja Police Station told
the journalists that the case did not happen under his
jurisdiction and directed them to go to the station inside the
secretariat.
The policeman at the secretariat police station also directed
the journalists back to Ataoja Police Station to incident the
case.
