Publishers of local tabloids under the Port Harcourt Press platform have threatened to boycott all activities of the Rivers State Police Command over its alleged failure to arrest those behind the attack on an Arise Television news crew in Port Harcourt.
The journalists were attacked on Friday, January 2, 2026, while conducting an interview with Dr. Leloonu Nwibubasa, a former Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, at a hotel in the Rivers State capital.
Armed assailants reportedly disrupted the interview and carted away broadcast equipment belonging to the station.
Addressing journalists, leaders of the group, former House of Representatives member Ogbonna Nwuke and Martins Yellow, said the boycott threat became necessary to prevent impunity, warning that attacks on journalists pose a serious danger to society and democratic values.
The publishers described the incident as intimidation and a grave threat to press freedom, alleging that the attackers claimed they were acting to suppress any statement perceived as critical of former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
They expressed concern that despite the reported recovery of the seized equipment and the alleged identification of one suspect, no arrests had been announced days after the incident, raising questions about the police’s commitment to protecting journalists and upholding the rule of law.