Officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invaded the Urban Radio 94.5 FM station in Enugu State on Monday evening and disrupted a live programme.
A public notice shared on Tuesday morning via Urban Radio’s X page states that the EFCC officers barged into the studio around 6:35 pm while it was airing a live programme called Prime Time. The station said EFCC personnel abducted some presenters and also went away with some communication equipment.
On Tuesday afternoon, a source, who asked to stay anonymous, told FIJ that the EFCC said it received a petition against a presenter who anchored a programme featuring an advert from a forex company.
FIJ learnt that it was the same presenter who was anchoring Monday’s live programme when the EFCC stormed the radio station. The source said that while there was no formal invitation before the invasion, the Commission claimed that some people who invested in the advertised forex company had written a petition against the presenter.
According to FIJ’s source, the presenter initially asked the officers to let her finish the live programme, but they refused. Instead, they took the radio off the air by unplugging studio equipment.
“Eventually, she followed them together with other members of staff to the EFCC office, but some other people who were not involved in the whole thing were not allowed to enter. I think it was around past 10:00 pm or thereabouts that they were released,” the source revealed.
“This morning, they have gone back there to report at the EFCC. They went there around 10:00 am and we are yet to hear anything from them. We are still waiting, and we hope they will be out today. It’s just two staff who are with the EFCC, the general manager and the presenter.
“On why they did what they did, they talked about a programme that was anchored by the presenter. That programme had an advert from a forex company, whose name I can’t remember right now. They talked about that company and that there was a petition made against the presenter by people who invested in the company. That was what happened
“The office was invaded, and there was nothing like an invitation given to the presenter earlier. The normal process is that you serve an invitation and tell the presenter to come. You can even write to the office, requesting that we release the presenter. You can’t just barge into a live programme without taking the right process.”
An X post by @thegirlrochie, an on-air personality (OAP) with Urban Radio, revealed that in addition to going away with the presenter who was on air at the time of the raid, the EFCC officers subjected some staff members to inhumane treatment.
While describing the incident as a slap on the media, she wrote: “This is unethical, traumatising and embarrassing to say the least. There are ethical processes to follow when an investigation is ongoing but the EFCC Enugu command chose to act otherwise.
“Not only did men of [the] EFCC whisk away a presenter who was on air as at the time they invaded the Live studio yesterday, you also subjected some staff of @UrbanRadio945 Enugu to inhumane treatment, carting away equipment worth millions.
“Imagine the fourth estate of the realm being ridiculed to this level. Where exactly did we get it wrong in having our law enforcement agencies act professionally? The lives of Journalists keep being threatened every blessed day in this country. This is a slap on the media.”
Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson could not be reached for comments on Tuesday as he has not responded to the messages FIJ sent via WhatsApp and SMS.
Oyewale shared the EFCC’s statement on the raid with FIJ on Tuesday afternoon.
“On Monday, October 14, 2024, a team of operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, comprising four officers were at Urban Radio 94.5FM, Enugu to invite one Favour Ekoh, host of Prime Time, a programme running at the station,” the statement read in part.
“Ekoh is being investigated by the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC in an alleged N700 million Ponzi scheme fraud involving about fifty (50) victims. According to the victims, Ekoh allegedly lured them into investing in a scheme “Life Trading” in a company, Leverage Index Limited, where they were offered returns on investment of 10% of their capital after a period of time.
“The victims alleged that after investing their money into the company located at No. 1 Colliery Street, Okpara Avenue, Enugu State, the company closed its office with no return on investment or principal returned to the victims. Ekoh allegedly invited the victims into the business and she remained the only link the victims could hold.”
The EFCC admitted to arresting Bamikole Owoyomi, the managing director of Urban Radio, and two other staff alongside Ekoh. It claimed the chairman of the radio station instructed staff over the phone to lock the gates with the EFCC operatives still in the radio station.
“Faced with such hostility, they [the initial four EFCC officers] called for a rescue team which eventually arrested Omoyomi, Ekoh and the two security guards that locked them within the premises of the station,” the EFCC stated on Tuesday.
@FIJ