A Nigerian journalist Agba Jalingo, who is on trial for treason, has been remanded in Kuje prison from Monday till Thursday
A judge in the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar, remanded the journalist to Kuje prison for cybercrime.
Jalingo was accused of defaming Elizabeth Ayade, the wife of Frank Ayade, who is a brother of Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade.
The publisher of CrossRiverWatch, was arrested on August 22, 2019, over a report alleging that Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade, diverted N500 million belonging to the state.
According to reports, Justice Abubakar allegedly denied Jalingo’s lawyers the opportunity to move a motion for bail after he was arraigned for cyberstalking.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has berated the Cross River state Governor, Ben Ayade, over the journalist’s detention.
According to HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the arrest of Agba Jalingo has put the image of Nigeria in a very terrible shape, adding that the best way to polish Nigeria’s image internationally is to respect human rights.
He said, “You have no right to take a journalist out of circulation and lock him up”.
While describing the incident as very regrettable, Onwubike urged the media to to go back and do soul searching
