Soldiers from the Nigerian Army 3 Battalion in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State apprehended Mr. Dele Fasan, the South-South Bureau Chief of Galaxy Television, during the early hours of Friday. Fasan was detained for filming video clips amid a planned labor protest in the city.
Additionally, the soldiers transported human rights activist Comrade Israel Joe to a nearby military barracks after a minor altercation between him and other activists, including Kelvin Ejumudo and others.
Nevertheless, the scheduled protest in the Delta metropolis was called off after key stakeholders convened and deliberated on the issues on Thursday night.
The incident involving the television journalist occurred at the renowned DSC roundabout in Effurun, where witnesses reported that the soldiers allegedly assaulted him, using the butt of their guns. Fasan was apprehended by the soldiers in the presence of a police team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, DC Operations, Aina Adesola.
However, Fasan was later released by the soldiers following the intervention of the police chief and his colleagues, who appealed to Army Commander Major AE Ohegbe. It was at Ohegbe’s order that Fasan was released, and his handcuffs were removed.
In a statement to the press shortly after his release, Fasan explained that he was attempting to capture video footage of the protest scene, which was already under the control of security forces, when the soldiers confronted him.
He expressed gratitude to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, DCP Aina Adesola, for promptly stepping in to address the situation.
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He said, “The military were not civil at all during the protest. But the police led by DCP Aina Adesola, the Navy, the DSS, and NSCDC operatives were civil as they all intervened and I was released”.
Fasan elaborated, mentioning that Major Ahegbe, the Army Commander, apologized to him after the regrettable incident had occurred.
In addition, Comrade Kelvin Ejumudo, the National Secretary of the Human Rights Protection Congress, informed journalists that Civil Society Organizations intervened to prevent the protest from taking place due to widespread threats across the nation.
“We don’t want any protest at all because when it happens, people will lose their properties. People will lose their money”, he said.
“While we were at the protest venue, we had the proponent (Israel Joe) of the protest for selfish reasons come here, and we had a one-on-one rift and he had been taken away by security operatives.
“I will not condone any idea of protest in this state because, at the moment, Nigeria is volatile,” he added.
He, however, urged Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all the 36 state governors with the local government chairmen to, as a matter of urgency, tackle the hunger in the land.
“Nigerians don’t want food. We want employment, we want our refineries to be functional, we want to produce what we can sell,” he stated.
DCP Aina Adesola, the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Operations, informed reporters that he was dispatched to the location by the Commissioner of Police with the objective of upholding peace.