Fire Razes TV Station In Edo State During News

It was a tragic situation in Benin City, the Edo state capital on
Saturday night, March 7, 2015, as the Benin based Independent
Television,ITV) was forced to go off the airwaves after parts of the
television and radio station were gutted by fire.

Making the disclosure on Sunday was the Head of News at the station,
Mr Abiodun Mudashiru, while speaking with journalists on the
unfortunate happening.

According to Mudashiru, the fire incident started a few minutes after
9pm which happened to be the time when the TV station was airing
network news.

He added that a combined team of fire fighters from the Edo State Fire
Service, the University of Benin Fire Service and the Military Fire
Service, prevented the fire from destroying the entire building.

"The incident occurred during the network news. Some people heard a
noise that sounded like an explosion and they decided to investigate.
In the process of doing that, the roof came down. Before we could do
anything, the whole place was in flames,"Mudashiru told newsmen.

However, some staff of the station who talked to journalists on the
matter alleged that the incident was caused by hoodlums.

The Independent Television is owned by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the
Esama of Benin and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It was gathered that a delegation of Edo PDP leaders including its
state chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, former deputy governor of the state,
Lucky Imasuen, and coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign in
the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were among those who visited the
scene of the incident.

It would be recalled that about a month ago, Governor Adams Oshiomhole
of Edo state had withdrawnthe accreditation of the correspondent and
cameraman of ITV attached to the Government House in a reaction to a
report that the governor's security aides beat up a Catholic Priest.

According to reports, the governor had in a letter to the General
Manager of ITV, Benin City, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Mr.
Kassim Afegbua, said the report was considered unprofessional.

Mr Afegbua said recalled its earlier discussion with ITV on the series
of fabricated and adversarial reportage of issues in the state which
has continued to misinform, misrepresent and confuse the people of the
state.

It was gathered that the state government had also terminated its
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Igbinedion University, Okada.

ITV had reported that the security aides attached to Governor
Oshiomhole allegedly beat up Reverend Father Peter Udo, a Catholic
priest.
--infonaija