Armed men have raided Radio Nigeria, Prime 101.5FM in Jimgbe, Kogi State, stealing critical broadcast equipment in a coordinated overnight operation that lasted more than three hours.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, left the station off-air after millions of naira worth of equipment was carted away. According to station management, the robbers overpowered the lone security guard on duty, tied him to a tree, and blindfolded him before proceeding to dismantle transmission infrastructure.
General Manager of the station, Momoh-Jimoh Adeiza, who confirmed the development to reporters on Sunday, described the incident as a devastating blow to operations, and raised concerns about the vulnerability of media establishments to criminal elements.
“This is a major setback. We are currently off-air and can’t serve the public because vital components like transmission modules, copper feeder parts, and generator batteries have been taken. It is disheartening that this happened without any security response during the entire operation,” he said.
The robbery adds to growing insecurity affecting critical communication infrastructure across Nigeria, with experts warning that repeated attacks on media institutions could disrupt public access to essential information. The incident has also sparked concerns about the safety of journalists and staff who work in remote or poorly protected broadcast facilities.
Zonal authorities of Radio Nigeria have been notified, while appeals have been made to security agencies for a swift investigation and recovery of the stolen assets. The State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement as of the time of this report.
Narrating his ordeal, the security guard, Daniel Haruna, said he was taken by surprise and left helpless during the entire invasion. “They were more than ten. Armed with guns and cutlasses. I was tied up and left in the bush while they tore through the station. I couldn’t alert anyone,” he said.
The attackers reportedly made away with 22 transmission modules, heavy-duty batteries, armoured cables, copper components and other key assets necessary for radio broadcast. While no life was lost, the scale of damage has raised fears about the broader threat to Nigeria’s media infrastructure.
This is not the first time such incidents have occurred in the region, but the lengthy duration of the attack, without any police intervention, has renewed criticism of response capacity and surveillance in rural zones.
Stakeholders have called on the federal and state governments to prioritise the protection of media houses, especially those serving local populations. The affected station, part of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), plays a crucial role in community outreach and public information in Kogi and neighbouring states.
Until the stolen equipment is replaced or recovered, Prime 101.5FM remains off-air, cutting off a vital source of information for thousands of listeners.
