Pascal Oparada
Nigerian Satellite television, Arise TV has earned applause from Nigerians over its coverage of the #EndSARSMemorial on Wednesday.
The television channel deployed a drone to cover the event at the Lekki toll gate which irked policemen sent to monitor the protest.
In one of the footage, enraged police officers approached the OB Van of Arise Television and its crew members and asked them to take down the drone.
One of the crew members, Oyindamola live-tweeted the harassment by the police.
“We were harassed by the police this morning,the security services were not happy that we had drones flying. One of the security men pushed me just for having drones up here.We’re journalist and we’re being harassed forcovering the situation”-Arise TV journalist #EndSARSMemorial.”
The scuffle between the police officers and journalists with the television station was captured by the drone.
In another footage, the drone captured a horrifying scene of police officers and a member of Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps brutalising an Uber driver with baton and teargas.
The bloodied driver was left to go after the police tried unsuccessfully to hound him into their van.
“Arise Tv is currently showing an Uber guy being forced into a police van with blood stains on his face. He’s literally shouting that he’s an Uber guy & did nothing and they’re harassing him . The police are also shouting “God punish you, na una start this thing” at him #EndSARS,” One Ebele said on Twitter.
“Arise TV is giving us live broadcast of the #EndSars activities at the Lekki toll gate, NTA is showing the Documentary of Zaki, Channels TV is interviewing Kinglsey Moghalu, AIT is just there. Nigerian TV stations are nothing but a big threat to the liberation of this nation,” Omitayo said.
Many Nigerians feared that the regulatory body, Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) may sanction the station over the coverage.