Agba Jalingo: SERAP drags Ben Ayade, FG to ECOWAS court

CALABAR, Cross River, Nigeria – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project(SERAP) says it has completed plans to drag the Federal Government and Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade to ECOWAS court over continued detention of Publisher of crossriverwatch.com, Mr. Agba Jalingo.

SERAP made the announcement even as Agba Jalingo was absent today in Court, forcing Justice Simon Amobeda to give an order to prison authorities to produce him in court on Friday, February 07, 2020. Agba Jalingo celebrated Christmas and New Year in detention, courtesy of the despot in civilian garb, Ben Ayade.

Meanwhile SERAP said it intends to file the suit at the ECOWAS court tomorrow Thursday.

“We’ve completed plans and documents to drag the Federal Government of Nigeria and Cross River state government of governor Ben Ayade to the ECOWAS COURT OF JUSTICE tomorrow morning over the illegal detention and sham trial of journalist Agba Jalingo”, SERAP said.

SERAP had in December 2019 written a terse letter to governor of Cross River State, Professor Ben Ayade urging him to release without delay, the publisher of Crossriverwatch.com, Mr. Agba Jalingo.

SERAP described continued incarceration of the journalist as persecution and that it is unacceptable for Cross River State government to use the criminal justice system to persecute the journalist”.

“We’ll see you in court soon if he’s not released”, SERAP warns.

“Dear @ben_ayade we urge you to ensure the immediate & unconditional release of journalist Agba Jalingo from illegal detention. It’s unacceptable for Cross River State govt. to use the criminal justice to persecute journalist. We’ll see you in court soon if he’s not released”.

The journalist, Agba Jalingo has been in detention since August 22, 2019 when he was arrested in Lagos and driven by road to Calabar, following invitation by the Cross State Police Command for exposing corruption.

Agba Jalingo came into the black books of Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade for publishing an article, in which he queried the whereabouts of the N500 million approved and released by the Cross River State government for the floating of Cross Rivers State Microfinance bank.

What he got was arrest with charges of terrorism and treasonable felony for exposing corruption.

One of the charges brought against Agba Jalingo, the journalist of conscience reads: “That you Agba on or about the 2nd of July 2019…did carry out acts of treason and treasonable felony by threatening through various publication on crossriverwatch.com and social media, using malicious publications, instigating the people of Nigeria to stage protest for the removal of the Governor of Cross River State of Nigeria from office without due process of law and thereby committed an offence punishable under the Section 41 of the Criminal Code of Act, Cap C38, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”i