Armed men have broken into the premises of Renaissance FM in Ratoma, a suburb of Conakry, and made away with equipment and a substantial amount of money.
The three-man gang stormed the station at 4.00 am on August 7, 2018 and overpowered the sole person at work before carrying out their mission.
Narrating her ordeal, Elizabeth Théa, technician at work at the time of the break-in, told the online news portal, Guinee360.com, that one of the attackers pointed a gun to her to freeze her into submission, while the two others proceeded to ransack the offices.
“One pointed his gun at me. He told me to remain calm otherwise he would kill me. Then he removed my phone. The other two went to do the operation. I heard them break the doors; I could not do anything. Without harming me, they locked me (in the studio) before leaving,” she said.
The Director of Human Resources of Radio Renaissance FM, Benjamin Guilavogui, has confirmed that four computers and 68 million Guinean francs (7,500 US dollars) were stolen by the attackers. Guilavogui added that the incident has been reported to the police for investigations.
The MFWA condemns the attack on the media house and urges the police to investigate the incident thoroughly to apprehend the culprits. We also appeal to media organisations to provide adequate security at their premises to forestall such attacks.