Operatives of Anambra State anti-touting agency popularly known as SASA have debunked attaching the State own-Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), Onitsha Station, on Monday evening.
The State Director of the Agency, Hon. Chukwuebuka Solomon Onwuemene, who debunked the incident in a statement signed and made available to Journalists in Awka on Monday by his media aide, Karen James, urged Onitsha residents and the public at large to disregard the Information.
It was gathered that a source from the station raised an alarm that the anti-touting operatives numbering over 15 invaded the premises with weapons and beat up staff on duty, including injuring some of them with pestles, before arresting one of the staff to their operational base while searching for a fleeing criminal that seeks cover under the stationed facility.
Reacting further, the anti-touting boss, described the information as fake and misleading.
According to verified accounts, the incident occurred when the Anti-Touting Squad was pursuing suspected criminals in their hood. During the operation, the suspects fled into the ABS premises in an attempt to evade capture. The squad entered the premises to apprehend the criminals, leading to the mistaken arrest of an ABS staff member who was later identified as an innocent party.
The Managing Director of ABS promptly intervened upon learning of the incident. He identified the detained staff member as the station’s engineer, who had been mistakenly arrested because one of the fleeing suspects had hidden in his office. The engineer was immediately released after his innocence was established.
No ABS staff member was harmed or assaulted during the incident, and he urged the public to disregard the false narratives being spread online.
“The allegations that SASA personnel stormed ABS and assaulted its staff are completely false. No staff member was beaten, and no one was arrested apart from the engineer, who was mistakenly apprehended because a criminal was hiding in his office,”
Hon. Onwuemene emphasised the importance of verifying information before sharing it and warned against spreading unsubstantiated claims that could damage reputations or incite unnecessary tension in the state.
He noted that both the ABS management and the Anti-Touting Squad have called on the public to remain calm and trust the clarification provided by the parties involved.
He also urged citizens to refrain from sharing misinformation that could create unnecessary conflicts or misunderstandings.
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