Broadcast operations at Prime FM, a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) station in Lokoja, Kogi State, have been brought to a halt following a brazen overnight attack by suspected armed robbers who carted away broadcast equipment worth millions of naira.
The attackers, numbering about 15, stormed the station’s premises in Jimgbe along the Lokoja–Ajaokuta Road around 2am on Saturday, July 26. They were reportedly armed with guns and cutlasses and gained access to sensitive parts of the station without resistance.
The security guard on duty, Daniel Haruna, said the intruders were heavily armed but chose not to harm him. “They came in a vehicle and went straight to where the equipment were kept. They told me not to panic or raise any alarm since the property did not belong to me,” Haruna recounted.
The items stolen include high-value broadcast tools such as three transmitter copper lines, an automatic antenna changeover system, 22 RF amplifier modules, a set of transmitter copper, a 100-amp battery, one console, and a radio for audio streaming.
Speaking on the incident, the General Manager of Prime FM, Alhaji Adeiza Momohjimoh, described the burglary as a serious blow to the station’s operations. “This is a huge setback. It will take time and significant resources to get back on air,” he lamented.
Momohjimoh called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to increase surveillance around media facilities in the state, particularly during night hours. “What happened shows the level of insecurity media houses are exposed to. We are appealing to the FRCN headquarters to help us secure the station with a perimeter fence,” he added.
The matter has since been reported to the police, but as of press time, no arrests had been made.
This incident adds to growing concerns over the vulnerability of public infrastructure to criminal attacks, especially in less protected areas across the country.
