Police arrest journalist, Agba Jalingo

The police have arrested a journalist, Agba Jalingo at his residence in Lagos.

Lagos Police spokesman, Suprentendent of Police Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES.

“He was arrested by the police from Abuja. They informed us before going. In fact they brought him to our facility in Lagos before going to Abuja”, he said.

Jalingo, the publisher of Cross-River Watch, was arrested in August 2019 for accusing the Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, of diverting N500 million belonging to the state.

He was charged with terrorism, treasonable felony, and cybercrime, and incarcerated for about 179 days, despite global outrage against the action.

Last week, Jalingo said that his residence was surrounded by the police.

“Policemen have surrounded my house”, he had said via his Facebook page on Friday.

In a telephone conversation with Channels Television, Jalingo said his wife and daughter were already “held down” by the police officers.

“Policemen just surrounded my house. About three to four of them. I don’t know who sent them and I am worried”, he said.

“They held my wife and my daughter down. They are asking for me”.

In July 2021, the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja ordered the Federal Government to pay the publisher N30 million as compensation for his ill-treatment and torture while in his earlier detention.

In March 2022, a Federal High Court in Calabar, dismissed the terrorism, treasonable felony, and cybercrime charges against him.

Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to telephone calls on Friday evening.

Credit: PREMIUM TIMES