Grandball Joel, a journalist with the Pointer newspaper in Delta State and his Galaxy Television counterpart were on Wednesday, December 6, brutalised by an army captain identified as O. Ibe, for attempting to cover a protest staged by workers of Heritage HEOSL Ughelli Pumping Station UPS at Eruemukohwarien in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state for alleged eight-month salary owed by the company.
Sources told NewsNet Nigeria that the Pumping Station UPS, operated by Heritage HEOSL is owned by NPDC but now known as NNPC Exploration and Production Limited NEPL.
Narrating his ordeal, Grandball Joel, said some journalists got hound of the workers’ protest and went to cover it as part of their job and social responsibility to the society.
According to him, “On getting to the UPS premises, we met a number of military personnel on ground and the said Captain Ibe immediately ordered me and my colleague to come, which we obeyed.
“He asked who are you and why are you here, I introduced myself and my colleague to him, and he ordered us to leave the premises immediately. He called one of the soldiers there to take us out, and we obeyed his orders, but surprisingly, as we were going out, the army captain without any provocation, from behind descended on me. He slapped me severally, kicked me, and hit me like I was a criminal.
“Even the protesting workers were all surprised as they began to shout and ask the army officer what has the man done to them. At that point, the Captain hurriedly went to seize a rifle from one of his men threatening to shoot me even when I was still on the ground, and charging at me that he was going to destroy my cameras and my midget recorders.”
Grandball Joel added that it took the intervention of the protesting workers to rescue him and his colleague as the army captain was bent on killing him for the fact that he came to cover the protest.
As of Thursday, December 7, Grandball Joel was so weak and expressed surprise at the unprovoked action of the military officer, adding that if not for God, he may have shot him dead while performing his legitimate duties.
He called on the military authorities to take necessary action against the errant officer and also ensure that journalists are protected.
