The mangement of National Pilot Newspaper floated by the former president of the senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said that Friday’s attack on the media house by rampaging hoodlums was politically motivated.
Rampaging youth in Ilorin Friday carried out attacks on the headquarters of the paper located along Asa Dam road, Ilorin including private and public facilities and ware houses where they looted palliative items and carted away valuables from business outlets.
A situation which prompted the state governor ,mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq to declare a 24 hour curfew.
Reacting to the attack in a statement titled “Attack on National Pilot, politically motivated”, the management of the newspaper wondered why it was the only media house targeted for the attack by the hoodlums.
The statement reads, “On Friday about 7:00pm, the Corporate Head Office of National Pilot Newswpaper, located along Asa Dam road, Ilorin, Kwara state was attacked by rampaging hoodlums under the guise of the #EndSARS protest.
“The incident happened shortly after the Newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief, Alhaji Billy Adedamola drove staff of the establishment out of the office at about 6.30pm when the momentum was building and the threat of attack became apparent.
“The assailants who had set up heavy burn fires at the frontage of the office came with gallons of fuel and other dangerous weapons and attempted to raze the place down. Some of them who tried to gain entrance through the back fence were however prevented by some tricycles and commercial motorcycle riders who used the place as their park.
“Although no staff was hurt during the incident, the hoodlums destroyed windows, furniture, gates and security lights carting away some properties in the process.
“However, we believe this attack was politically motivated given the ownership of National Pilot and the fact that it was the only media house so targeted for attack by the hoodlums.
“But, if the motive of the attackers was to silence, cowed and intimidate us from doing our job, they have already failed as this incident will further spur us to continue to publish based on our motto of “Quest for Truth and Justice” always.
“While we call on the security agencies to fish out perpetrators of this condemnable act of brigandage on free press, we are moved by the outpouring of solidarity messages from our readers within and outside the country, eminent Kwarans, the Kwara State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the media and other bodies and personalities who stood in solidarity with us to condemn this act.”
