Armed thugs, suspected to have been hired by a faction of the Trade Union Congress in Osun State, on Tuesday in Osogbo attacked journalists and beat up a cameraman of theChannels Television, Mr. Oloyede Oyegbenle.
The thugs were brought in a TUC branded bus by some workers, who led them to the main gate of the Osun State Secretariat.
The faction, led by Mr. Francis Adetunji, was said to have stormed the secretariat to enforce a three-day warning strike that the union had called.
The hoodlums had, on sighting the policemen deployed in the place, hesitated, but went on the offensive against the newsmen when they observed that the policemen did not stop them.
The thugs threw bottles and other weapons at journalists, who were at the venue to cover the action.
About eight of the hoodlums pounced on theChannels TV cameraman and attacked him with pestles and clubs before they seized his camera.
Oyegbenle was rescued by his colleagues and attended to by the Osun State Ambulance Service.
He was called to cover the disagreement between the factions by some workers who had resumed for work.
TheChannels TVcameraman was later taken to a hospital where he was treated. The policemen, who were at the scene before the arrival of the hoodlums, failed to intervene as journalists were being beaten.
The Adetunji-led faction of the TUC had wanted the proposed strike to commence on Tuesday, but the Chairman of the TUC, Mr. Akinyemi Olatunji, opposed the planned strike.
However, efforts by the journalists to incident the case at the Ataoja Estate Police Station and the police station inside the state secretariat, were unsuccessful.
The Divisional Police Officer of the Ataoja Police Station told journalists, who went there to report the incident, that it did not happen within his jurisdiction.
He directed them to the police station inside on the secretariat premises.
The policemen at the Secretariat Police Station also directed the journalists back to Ataoja Police Station to report the case.
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