Related Articles
According to Cross River Watch where Jalingo is publisher, Mrs. Alami Ayade, through her lawyers in Abuja – Uyi Frank Obayagbona & Co had written to Jalingo, claiming he wrote a defamatory article about her and wants N500million as compensation.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Afrivolous petition bordering on defamation which was filed by Mrs. Elizabeth Alami Ayade, wife of Dr. Frank Ayade, the younger brother of Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade led to the arrest of journalist, Agba Jalingo, on Friday in Lagos State.
According to Cross River Watch where Jalingo is publisher, Mrs. Alami Ayade, through her lawyers in Abuja Uyi Frank Obayagbona & Co had written to Jalingo, claiming he wrote a defamatory article about her and wants N500million as compensation.
But the letter was served on August 14 with Jalingo given two weeks to delete the article and comply, or else redress will be sought in court.
Jalingo had alleged that Mr. Paschal Aboh, who is currently being tried by a court in Abuja for alleged examination malpractice, was writing in place of a prominent Obudu woman.
He further took to social media to state that Mrs. Alami Ayade has denied reports linking her to the trial of Paschal, a law lecturer at the University of Calabar.
Yesterday, men of the Nigeria Police Force in plain clothes, surrounded his Ogudu residence in Lagos State, holding his wife, and daughter hostage for over an hour. Jalingo had raised the alarm at about 4pm and refused to step out since the policemen did not identify themselves.
The police sent reinforcements, who informed him that the plain clothes officers were sent from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
No warrant of arrest was served upon him before he was taken away to Alapere Police station where he was interrogated by the Divisional Police Officer after he refused to write a statement, insisting that he wanted a copy of the petition and his lawyer to be present.
At about two hours, after storming Jalingo’s Lagos residence, there were attempts to abduct the media organisation’s in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. A staff member was chased by a dark-grey-colored Toyota Corolla with heavily tinted glass back into the office.
After hovering around for about an hour and failing to get staff to open the gate, they left.
At press time, Jalingo was transferred to Area F Zonal Command at Ikeja in preparation for transfer to Abuja today (Saturday).
In March 2021, SaharaReporters reported that a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar discharged Jalingo in a criminal suit that alleged he committed acts of terrorism, treasonable felony and cybercrimes.
This followed the decision of the Cross River State Government to withdraw the charges it filed against him.
The state had taken over the prosecution from the Nigerian government in February 2020 when he was admitted to bail after spending 179 days in incarceration.
