Reports emanating from Osun state indicate that armed thugs, suspected to have been hired by a group of Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday in Osogbo, attacked journalists and thoroughly beat up a cameraman of Channels Television, Mr. Oloyede Oyegbenle, before seizing his camera.
Punch reports that the thugs were brought in a TUC branded bus by some workers, who led them to the main gate of the Osun State Secretariat.
On getting to the scene, the hoodlums aggressively attacked the newsmen when they observed that police deployed in the place made no attempt to stop them.
It was gathered that 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 hit 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 group 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 group of the TUC had wanted the proposed strike to commence on Tuesday but the Chairman of TUC, Mr. Akinyemi Olatunji, opposed the planned strike.
However speaking with journalists, the Divisional Police Officer of the Ataoja Police Station said that the case did not happen under his jurisdiction and so told newsmen to go to the station inside the secretariat.
On getting there, the policeman at the secretariat police station also directed the journalists back to Ataoja Police Station which left journalists in a Topsy-turvy state.
This attack on journalists comes barely hours after another set of gunmen believed to be working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took over the Town Hall Polling Zone in Ilase-Ijesa, Obokun Local Government, Osun state, to scare away prospective voters during Saturday’s elections in the state.
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