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Police summons PREMIUM TIMES journalist over yet-to-be-published story

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By Francesca Hangeior.

 

The police have summoned a PREMIUM TIMES reporter, Emmanuel Agbo, over a yet-to-be-published report that he is working on.

Agbo received an invitation letter dated 31 May 2024 from the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Intelligence Response Team (NPF-IRT), Abuja, via Whatsapp on Monday.

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The police sent the letter after Agbo requested a formal invitation instead of their initial phone call invitation.

Agbo was first contacted over the telephone by a police officer named Ezemba Ezekiel on 30 May, requesting him to come over to the office Intelligence Response Team (NPF-IRT) 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, referenced by the police officer in the phone conversation, is a land developer and major party to a land dispute which Mr Agbo’s planned story is focusing on.

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The police invitation came after 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.

After the phone call invitation with the police on Monday, Agbo asked Ezekiel, the police officer who initiated the phone call, to make the police invitation formal by writing to him through PREMIUM TIMES.

Following this request, Ezekiel sent an invitation letter dated 31 May to Agbo via WhatsApp on Monday.

The invitation from the IRT only stated that Mr Agbo’s name surfaced in a petition without giving any details.

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It further requested the PREMIUM TIMES journalist to appear on Wednesday, 5 June, at 2 p.m. at the IRT Complex, Old Abattoir by Guzape Junction, Abuja.

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES has responded to the invitation letter, assuring the police of its readiness to support their investigation and requesting details of the petition they received from Homaldis.

“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,” the Managing Editor of PREMIUM TIMES, Idris Akinbajo, wrote in the letter delivered at the of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, IRT, on Monday.

The letter added: “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.

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“We are thus always ready to assist law enforcement agencies in the course of their professional duties.

However, in your letter to 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 Emmanuel Agbo can prepare adequately and assist you in the course of your work.

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“Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or clarifications.”

From the interaction with the police officer who first invited Agbo through phone call, the police invitation has to do with a dispute involving Homadils Realty Limited and a family over a prized piece of land in Guzape, a choice area of Abuja.

The dispute has thrown up allegations of document falsifications which, we learnt, are being investigated by the Federal Capital Development Authority.

Journalists targetted
There has been a recent upsurge in the cases of police targeting journalists for doing their legitimate work in Nigeria.

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In one of the recent cases, the police detained the Executive Director of the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Dayo Aiyetan, and an investigative journalist with the platform, Nurudeen Akewushola, for over nine hours.

Both journalists honoured the invitation of the police and arrived at the NPF-NCCC office at noon on Tuesday but were held and only released after 9 p.m.

The newspaper had raised an alarm and journalists and activists immediately took to social media and berated the police, even as they called for their immediate release.

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Angry investors raid CBEX office, loot assets in Ibadan after digital Platform crash

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A group of angry individuals, on Monday evening, stormed the CBEX office located in the Oke Ado area of Ibadan, Oyo State, looting furniture and other items after the digital trading platform reportedly crashed.

Eyewitnesses said the mob forcibly entered the premises, carting away tables, couches, and other office equipment.

The attack is believed to have been triggered by the sudden collapse of the platform, which allegedly left many users with zero balance in their accounts.

Following the incident, several users expressed frustration and grief over the loss of their investments, with some taking to social media to share their experiences.

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A video circulating online shows a large crowd at the CBEX office, with individuals seen removing various items from the building.

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‘Not something I’d wish on anyone’ — Melinda Gates opens up on divorce

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Melinda Gates, the ex-wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has spoken about their divorce in her new book ‘The Next Day’.

Bill and Melinda got married in 1994 but announced their divorce in 2021 — after 27 years together.

In a recent interview on ABC’s Good Morning America, Melinda revealed that she chose to discuss her divorce openly to be true to herself and acknowledge others who have experienced similar situations.

She described the separation as “painful” but also a “transition that had some growth in it”.

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The 60-year-old also emphasised that divorce is a challenging experience for any family and expressed her hope that her story might offer some insight.

“It was important because if I am going to be my most authentic self. People knew I had gone through it,” she said.

“And it is hard on any family, so I write from my perspective. But it’s not something I would wish on anybody — and unfortunately so many families go through it.

“It is a big transition. And for me, while it was painful for sure, I ended up learning some lessons and there was some growth in there, too.”

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Bill and Melinda first met in 1987, when she became a product manager at Microsoft. They married in Hawaii in 1994 and founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to combating global poverty and disease — in 2000.

Following their divorce, Melinda resigned from the foundation in May 2024.

The former couple shares three children: son Rory, 25, and daughters Phoebe, 22, and Jennifer, 28.

In January, Bill described his divorce from Melinda as his “biggest regret in life”.

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SHOCKING! One month after giving birth, woman discovers another baby in her womb

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A woman who had given birth just a month earlier was rushed to the hospital after sensing something was wrong—only to discover she was still carrying another baby.

This unusual incident was shared in a viral post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Woman discover another baby in womb a month after giving birth
Woman discover another baby in womb a month after giving birth.
According to the post, the woman had initially given birth at a hospital and returned home after being stitched.

However, a month later, she began to feel unwell and went back to the hospital, where doctors discovered another child still in her womb.

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She was immediately put into labor again and successfully delivered the second baby.

The post read: “There’s a Xhosa lady on TT who gave birth to a child in March, got stitched and went home. Well, a month later, she felt something was wrong with her, it turns out there was another child in her womb. So, she gave birth again. She now has twins that are a month apart.”

As the post circulated online, concerned users flooded the comment section to share their thoughts and reactions.

See some reactions below:

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@Melo_Malebo: “Idk what’s more shocking, the fact that twins can have different fathers or this one. Also, wasn’t the other one big enough for nurses to see there could still be someone in there ?”

@Fifi_Kumalo: “So the ultrasound didn’t catch the other baby 😳 njani? I know they hide but so confused.”

@Ralph_Nzuza: “When my lil sister got operated they cut the baby on the cheek after the surgery they forgot those scalpels inside her.”

@StraightupGal: “Surely this incompetence is illegal. One can die giving birth, what more when they have stitched your baby up for a couple of more weeks? 🤯😭 Thanks to God she is safe and able to tell the tale.”

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@mgwatyu_: “Must have delivered at a clinic via NVD, Not booked so no scan or late booker. Cannot be a cesarean section. The stiching must have just been for tears.”

@phuti_mathobela: “God works in mysterious ways some people get to experience his ways in this form while some people in their near death experience. He is God’s of miracles.”

WATCH VIDEO:

There’s a Xhosa lady on TT who gave birth to a child in March, got stitched and went home. Well, a month later, she felt something was wrong with her, it turns out there was another child in her womb. So, she gave birth again. She now has twins that are a month apart. 😭

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— Musanathi Writes 🇿🇦 (@Musanathi2) April 14, 2025

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