Policemen and officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) are currently laying siege to the head office of DAAR Communications in Asokoro, Abuj
Policemen and officers of the Department of State Services (DSS) are currently laying siege to the head office of DAAR Communications in Asokoro, Abuja according to Tony Akiotu, group managing director of DAAR Communications.
Akiotu said heavily armed security operatives gathered laid seige at the station premises at 12:30am on Saturday. The development comes less than 12 hours after AIT and Raypower FM came back on air following a court order.
“The motive for the siege is not clear at the moment. They are heavily fortified and carrying out surveillance on the premises. The motive for the unusual surveillance is not clear. DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC returned to the airwaves following an exparte motion granted by the Federal high court in Abuja. The station is still transmitting signals on its National and global beam. The management of DAAR Communications Plc wishes to alert Nigerians to this unwarranted threat to its operations by operatives of the State Security services,” Akiotu said.
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had shut the stations on Thursday over what it described as breach of its rules. But on Friday, Inyang Ekwo, judge of a federal high court in Abuja, ordered the reopening of the stations. He also summoned NBC and the ministry of information and explain why the motion challenging the commission should not be granted. DAAR Communications had filed an ex parte motion before the NBC suspended its operations.
DSS operatives had first stormed the head office of DAAR Communications on Thursday night to effect the shutdown. Before the clampdown, Raymond Dokpesi, founder of DAAR Communications and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had raised the alarm that there were plans to shut the stations.
