Agba Jalingo Arrested Again

Cross River activist and journalist, Agba Jalingo, who earlier announced in the afternoon that his Lagos residence was under siege by policemen, has been reportedly detained at Alapere Police Station, Lagos.

The wife of the activist, Violet Agba, confirmed this to press Friday evening.

She noted that the police had planned to transfer the activist to Abuja tomorrow morning.

“They took him to the police station, he will be moved to Abuja tomorrow morning,” she told The PUNCH.

She claimed that Jalingo was being arrested for alleged defamation of character of the wife of Frank Ayade, the brother of the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade.

“We asked them for an arrest warrant or charge sheet, but they didn’t present it to us. They only told us that he’s been invited for defamation of character of Frank Ayade’s wife, Violet said.

The PUNCH gathered that while Jalingo was being arrested in Lagos, some persons had also surrounded the office of the Publisher’s media office in Calabar, Cross River State.

The Editor, Civic Space, Cross River Watch, Jonathan Ugbal, disclosed this to press Friday evening.

“He will be moved to Abuja tomorrow morning by flight. They also surrounded our office in Calabar earlier on. These were not policemen because when we called the police, those ones ran away,” he told The PUNCH.

The PUNCH reported that the Publisher of Cross River Watch, announced his arrest on Facebook, Friday afternoon via a series of posts on his page.

“I don’t know who sent the police but they have held my wife and my daughter hostage downstairs. I don’t feel safe. Those are their faces”, he posted, sharing a picture of some men in mufti at the gate.

“Policemen are still surrounding my house in Lagos. I still don’t know what brought them here. My wife and daughter are held, hostage.

In 2019, the journalist was arrested following an allegation of treason by  Ben Ayade.

Jalingo was first arrested by the Police in August 2019. He was subsequently arraigned for treason and attempting to overthrow the state government due to highly critical articles he published.

In March 2022, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu discharged and acquitted him of the accusations at a Federal High Court in Calabar.