THE Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has summoned a journalist with the Premium Times, Emmanuel Agbo, over a story he is working on.
According to a report published by the platform on Tuesday, June 4, Agbo received an invitation letter dated May 31, 2024, from the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Intelligence Response Team (NPF-IRT), Abuja via WhatsApp on Monday, June 3.
The police were said to have sent the letter after Agbo had been invited through a telephone call.
The journalist was first contacted by phone on May 30 by a police officer, Ezemba Ezekiel, who requested that he come to the Intelligence Response Team (NPF-IRT) office 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,” the police was quoted as saying in the report.
Meanwhile, the firm Homadils Realty Limited, mentioned by the police officer during the phone conversation, is a land developer and a key party in a land dispute that Agbo’s story focuses on.
Consequently, Agbo requested that the invitation be made via an official letter. While the police complied, they failed to include the petition’s details in the letter.
“The police invitation came after Mr Agbo earlier reached out to the chief executive officer of Homadils, Bilkisu Aliu, over the phone and further exchanged messages on Whatsapp where she shared with the PREMIUM TIMES journalists her reactions to allegations levelled against her by a family laying claim to the land in dispute.”
The police in the letter, requested the journalist to appear on Wednesday, June 5, at 2 p.m.
Reacting to the invitation, PREMIUM TIMES said it had assured the police of its readiness to support their investigation.
The newspaper said it had also requested the details of the petition the police received from Homaldis to allow the journalist to make adequate preparations for the questioning.
The Managing Editor of PREMIUM TIMES, Idris Akinbajo, wrote in the letter delivered to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, IRT, on Monday, June 3, that although the letter was dated May 31, it received the invitation on June 3.
“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,” the report quoted Akinbajo to have written.
The newspaper also highlighted that the police invitation extended to Agbo stemmed from a dispute between Homadils Realty Limited and a family regarding a valuable parcel of land in Guzape, a prominent area in Abuja.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, allegations of document falsification arising from the dispute are currently under investigation by the Federal Capital Development Authority.
Invitation comes a week after ICIR journalists were detained by police
Meanwhile, the invitation is coming exactly a week after The ICIR journalists were detained by the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCC).
The Executive Director of The ICIR, Dayo Aiyetan, and its reporter, Nurudeen Yahaya Akewushola, were held for nine hours after they honoured the police’s invitation on Tuesday, May 28.
In its invitation, the Police claimed it was probing a case of cyberstalking and defamation of character based on a petition received by the office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigative Department, but provided no details.
The invitation by the police was unconnected with an investigation published by The ICIR, which linked some former police bosses to a shady land deal.
Following the initial invitation of The ICIR reporter and its managers by the NPF-NCCC, human rights lawyer Femi Falana said arresting journalists based on cyberstalking and criminal intimidation charges was unlawful, as the section of the Act (Section 24) often relied on by the police had been amended.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M