CDHR faults terrorism, treason charges against Agba Jalingo

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has faulted the four-count terrorism and treason charge filed against Agba Jalingo, publisher of an online medium, Cross RiverWatch, at the Federal High Court, Calabar.

Calling for his unconditional release, the group’s national president, Malachy Ugwummadu, pointed out that that the charge, just filed at the weekend weeks after Jalingo’s arrest by the police in Lagos without a detention order, was in violation of his rights to liberty and movement as enshrined in sections 34 and 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

In the charge signed by D.T. Tarhemba, R. A. Itsu, Uwem Okon, C.I. Eze and Roland Abang, all lawyers for the legal and prosecution department of the police headquarters in Calabar, and accompanied by a six-paragraph affidavit, Jalingo was accused of acts of treason and treasonable felony by “threatening through various publications on crossriverwatch.com and social media, using malicious publications, instigating the people of Nigeria to stage (a) protest for the removal of the Governor of Cross River State from office without due process of law, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 41 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap  C38, Laws of the Federation of  Nigeria, 2004.”

The journalist was also charged with making and publishing false statements on crossriverwatch.com and Facebook story page titled: “How Ayade approved and diverted N500 million from Cross River Micro Finance Bank in order to cause alarm, hatred and disturb public peace in Calabar for purposes of bringing down the reputation of Governor Ben Ayade, and therefore committed an offence punishable under Section 59 of the criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

Jalingo was similarly accused as an “associate of Mr. Omoyele Sowore on or about July 2, 2019 about 11.30 at N0. 15 Eyo Etta Street, Calabar did conspire with Prince Ekanem Ekpo and others now at large to commit unlawful acts of terrorism, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 17 of the Terrorism Prevention Amendment Act, 2013.”

He was further accused of holding meeting with leaders of cult groups across the state to instigate them to “commence acts of terrorism on the person of Ayade to undemocratically force his government to an end through various acts of violence.”