The police have summoned a reporter with PREMIUM TIMES, Emmanuel Agbo, over a yet-to-be-published report that he is working on.
Agbo received an invitation letter dated May 31, 2024 from the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Intelligence Response Team, Abuja via WhatsApp on Monday, according to the platform in a report on Tuesday.
The police were reported to have sent the letter after the journalist requested a formal invitation instead of their initial invitation via a phone call.
The journalist was said to have been initially contacted over the telephone on May 30 by a man who identified himself as a police officer named Ezemba Ezekiel.
The man reportedly requested that the journalist come over to the office of the police’s Intelligence Response Team in Guzape, Abuja.
“I am Ezemba Ezekiel from the Intelligence Response Team. I am calling you on behalf of Homadils. You are expected to come over to our office at Abattoir in Guzape to clarify a petition,” he said via phone call.
The firm, Homadils Realty Limited, mentioned by the police officer in the phone conversation, is said to be a land developer and major party to a land dispute which Agbo’s planned story is focusing on.
According to the platform, the police invitation came after Agbo reached out to the Chief Executive Officer of Homadils, Bilkisu Aliu, over the phone over allegations levelled against her by a family laying claim to the land in dispute.
Following the phone call with the policeman on Monday, Agbo requested a formal invitation by writing to him through PREMIUM TIMES.
An invitation letter dated May 31 was sent to the journalist via WhatsApp on Monday with Agbo’s name in a petition without giving any details.
It further requested the journalist to appear on Wednesday, June 5, at 2 pm at the IRT Complex, Old Abattoir by Guzape Junction, Abuja.
In its reaction, PREMIUM TIMES assured the police of supporting their investigation and requesting details of the petition they received from Homaldis.
The Managing Editor of PREMIUM TIMES, Idris Akinbajo, in the letter delivered to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, on Monday said although the letter was dated May 31, it received the invitation on June 3.
“We have received a letter from you to our reporter, Agbo Emmanuel, in which you invited him to appear before you on 05/06/2024 at your office at ‘IRT Complex, Old Abbatoir by Guzape Junction, Abuja’. We received the letter today, 03-06-2024, although it is dated 31-05-2024,” Akinbajo wrote in the letter delivered to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, IRT, on Monday.
“We, Premium Times, are an online newspaper dedicated to using investigative journalism to hold power accountable and deepen democracy as enshrined in Section 22 of the Nigerian Constitution.
“We are thus always ready to assist law enforcement agencies in the course of their professional duties. However, in your letter to Mr Emmanuel Agbo, you only stated that your ‘office is in receipt of petition…’ but did not provide any details of the petition.
“We ask that you provide more details of the petition to enable our reporter, Mr Agbo, to make adequate preparations and bring along relevant materials when he appears in your office. We trust that you will treat this promptly so we and Mr Emmanuel Agbo can prepare adequately and assist you in the course of your work. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or clarifications,” Akinbajo stated.
The platform noted that the police invitation was due to a dispute involving Homadils Realty Limited and a family over a piece of land in Guzape, a choice area of Abuja.
It added that the dispute has thrown up allegations of document falsifications which, it learnt, are being investigated by the Federal Capital Development Authority.
In recent times, there has been a surge in the cases of police targeting journalists for doing their legitimate work in Nigeria.
In March, some gunmen attached to the Defence Intelligence Agency abducted the then editor of FirstNews newspaper, Segun Olatunji, from his home in the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos State.
Olatunji’s abduction was linked to a story published by FirstNews titled, “Revealed: “Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers”, published by many other online platforms.
similarly, in May, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Daniel Ojukwu, was abducted by men of the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police.
Ojukwu regained his freedom after days 10 days in police custody following protests by some Civil Society Organisations in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
