Gun-wielding policemen on Tuesday in Lokoja paralysed activities at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in an attempt to arrest hand-set traders protesting? against alleged police manhandling of their members.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the policemen stormed the premises shortly after a procession of the GSM Dealers Association, Lokoja branch, entered the secretariat .
The procession was led by the Chairman Donaldson Usofia .
Pastor Jimmy Johnson, spokesman of the protesting traders, had told journalists that in compliance with their relocation following government directive for them to vacate the roadsides, they resumed at the new location on Tuesday.
Johnson, however, said trouble started when police stormed the new location to force them out and they demanded explanation but the police resorted to use of force.
He said that the development led to the exchange of words, resulting in the the use of force against those who dared to challenge the police.
Johnson said that the traders carried their colleague in a state of coma to the NUJ secretariat to register their grievances over the action of the police, but the police followed them to the centre.
NAN reports that the police locked up the main gate of the press centre, stopping both human and vehicular movement in or out of the secretariat and ordered the discontinuation of a news briefing by the traders.
The Kogi police command's Public Relations Officer, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi (ASP) said the move by the police was to protect journalists as the intention of the traders could not be ascertained. (NAN)