It was a tragic situation in Benin City, the Edo state capital on Saturday night, March 7, 2015, as the Benin based Independent Television,ITV) was forced to go off the airwaves after parts of the television and radio station were gutted by fire.
Making the disclosure on Sunday was the Head of News at the station, Mr Abiodun Mudashiru, while speaking with journalists on the unfortunate happening.
According to Mudashiru, the fire incident started a few minutes after 9pm which happened to be the time when the TV station was airing network news.
He added that a combined team of fire fighters from the Edo State Fire Service, the University of Benin Fire Service and the Military Fire Service, prevented the fire from destroying the entire building.
“The incident occurred during the network news. Some people heard a noise that sounded like an explosion and they decided to investigate. In the process of doing that, the roof came down. Before we could do anything, the whole place was in flames,”Mudashiru told newsmen.
However, some staff of the station who talked to journalists on the matter alleged that the incident was caused by hoodlums.
The Independent Television is owned by Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
It was gathered that a delegation of Edo PDP leaders including its state chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, former deputy governor of the state, Lucky Imasuen, and coordinator of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, were among those who visited the scene of the incident.
It would be recalled that about a month ago, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state had withdrawn
the accreditation of the correspondent and cameraman of ITV attached to the Government House in a reaction to a report that the governor’s security aides beat up a Catholic Priest.
According to reports, the governor had in a letter to the General Manager of ITV, Benin City, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Kassim Afegbua, said the report was considered unprofessional.
Mr Afegbua said recalled its earlier discussion with ITV on the series of fabricated and adversarial reportage of issues in the state which has continued to misinform, misrepresent and confuse the people of the state.
It was gathered that the state government had also terminated its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Igbinedion University, Okada.
ITV had reported that the security aides attached to Governor Oshiomhole allegedly beat up Reverend Father Peter Udo, a Catholic priest.
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