Jalingo was accused of defaming Elizabeth Ayade, wife of Frank Ayade, who is the brother of Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade.

In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/565/2022, he was accused of publishing an article that was considered an insult to Mrs Ayade’s personality which is punishable under Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.

Jalingo was specifically accused of engaging in a false publication that was intended to annoy, ill will and insult to the person of Mrs Ayade.

It will be recalled that the nominal complainant, Mrs Ayade, had in 2022, asked Mr Jalingo to retract an article which she considered offensive.

Jalingo had in the said article, questioned why Paschal Aboh, was facing trial for allegedly impersonating a student of the Nigerian Law School, Abuja campus identified as Mrs Ayade, while the person (Mrs Ayade) that allegedly contracted him, walked free.

Angered by the publication, Mrs Ayade, through her lawyer, demanded a retraction and an apology to be published in two national dailies and social media platforms, as well as the payment of N500 million to her as damages.

Following Mrs Ayade’s petition, Police arrested Jalingo and later released him on administrative bail, and subsequently preferred a two-count charge against him before the high court.

At the resumed proceedings on Thursday,

the defendant however pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

The defendant, through his team of lawyers led by Femi Falana, SAN, applied to be released on bail pending the determination of the case against him.

Police lawyer, Mr Fidelis Ogbobe did not oppose the application.

The court granted him bail to the tune of N500,000. Aside from the N500,000 bail bond, trial Justice Abubakar held that the surety must be an owner of a landed property within the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge ordered that the title deed of the said property must be deposited with the Deputy Registrar in charge of litigations of the Courts.

Besides, the court held that the surety must also depose an affidavit of means.

Adjourning the case till May 31 for trial, Justice Abubakar held that the defendant should remain in prison custody, pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

The journalist was asked to report to the Command on Monday.

Earlier, the command had confirmed his (Agba Jalingo) receipt and detention and that investigation was ongoing.

Adeh said, “On Saturday, August 20, 2022, Agba Jalingo was arrested by State CID operatives in response to a petition filed against him by one Elizabeth Ayade.

“He was arrested over a false allegation, claiming that she paid one Mr Pascal to write an examination for her at the law school.

“Upon the receipt of this petition, we went ahead to invite Mr Jalingo, but he refused to come, leaving the police no option but to secure an arrest warrant, which was why he was arrested in Lagos.

“Investigation is currently ongoing, and the unraveled facts will be communicated subsequently.”

Jalingo’s legal counsel, James Ibor, who spoke to our correspondent, noted that his relatives and friends have been apprehensive, especially since the police in Abuja had earlier denied receipt of him.

Ibor said, “We’ve been apprehensive. His family and friends have been apprehensive since he was arrested, but we became more apprehensive when the police authorities in Abuja denied receiving him hours after he left the Airport in Lagos.

“This should not be happening in a country that has laws. Why would you arrest a journalist without inviting him over a publication he made?

“The police in Abuja later confirmed that they’ve received him, and we hope that they’ll release him.”

Jalingo had on Friday announced that his Lagos residence was under siege by policemen.

He was later reportedly detained at Alapere Police Station, Lagos.

The wife of the activist, Violet Agba, confirmed this to our correspondent, 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.” She added.

Meanwhile, an advocacy group, Rule of Law and Accountability Centre, has called for an immediate release of a Cross River State activist and journalist, Agba Jalingo, who was earlier arrested by policemen at his Lagos residence on Friday.

Jalingo was said to have been arrested and detained at Alapere Police Station, Lagos over an alleged defamation of character of the wife of Frank Ayade, the brother of the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade.

RULAAC urged the Nigerian police to desist from being influenced by politicians, saying the arrest of the journalist and his family members was unlawful and would further tarnish the image of the security outfit.

It noted that such could be translated to a violation of fundamental rights which was contrary to the provision of the constitution.

RULAAC’s Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, made this call in a statement on Saturday where he explained that only the courts possessed the right to determine whether or not an act was defamatory.

The statement read, “Who knows the motive of those who besieged his office in Calabar since they didn’t appear to be police officers and took flight upon sighting security agents?

“RULAAC has spoken with sources close to Agba Jalingo who revealed that Agba Jalingo was never invited by the police before they besieged his house in such Gestapo fashion.

“Police should avoid portraying themselves as available for hire by politicians or other persons of influence to be used to settle scores. It is not helping the battered image of the police.”

The activist was arrested alongside 18 other protesters who engaged in a #RevolutionNow protest in Ikeja area of the state on Wednesday, August 5. They were arrested, shortly after arriving under-bridge area of Ikeja to protest the deplorable condition of the country, and taken to Area F Police Command in Lagos thereafter.

Jalingo who confirmed his arrest after being approached by newsmen at Area F where he is currently being detained said;  “We were protesting the bad governance in the country. We have been talking every day that this country is not going well and that the government needs to do something to correct the level of poverty and reverse the level of penury in the country. I am surprised that anytime we come out to draw attention to these issues, they send the police to come and arrest us. We are harmless and are not carrying arms but only stood with a megaphone to address the public and then somebody started shooting teargas at us. It is a mystery that something like this is still happening in Nigeria. I was arrested at Ikeja-Along. The police chase us on the express for more than three kilometres before they eventually rounded us up and took 19 of us to the Area F Police Station in Ikeja. We are here. They have been asking us to write a statement but we have refused to do so because we don’t know what we have done wrong.”

The Cross River State Governor who denied having a hand in the arrest and trial of the journalist alleged that Agba Jalingo is being prosecuted by the Federal Government.

Speaking to newsmen after a meeting with President Buhari at the statehouse in Abuja on Monday, January 27, Ayade accused Jalingo of leaving journalism to meddle into politics as he disclosed that his arrest and trial is connected to Omoyele Sowore’s #RevolutionNow protest.

Ayade said “In court, it is Federal Government versus Agba Jalingo, not Cross River State.  He’s in court for treason, a state does not have the power to try anyone for treason, it’s not me. On his Facebook page, he sent pictures where he was being teargassed at the revolution march in Lagos. His own pictures, posted by himself and when Sowore was being arrested, he went back to his Facebook to post that the revolution has just started, ‘we will continue this battle until revolution works’. He admitted this in Court. You are seeing him as a journalist, but he’s not, he’s the chairman of Sowore’s party in Cross River State so he’s a politician. He has a primary calling, which is journalism. Once he started the campaign to overthrow the government of President Buhari, he ceased to be seen from the point of a journalist because he has become the state chairman of a party. I am of the opinion that Agba should be released because I think he was just youthfully excited. If you ask Agba Jalingo today, I am the one working with his lawyers for his freedom, I am the one sustaining him and sending upkeeps.”