June 12: Journalist Agba Jalingo Arrested Over Fake Petition Claiming He Is An Arms Dealer

CrossRiverWatch Editor in Chief and rights activist, Citizen Agba Jalingo has been arrested by the Cross River State command of the Nigeria Police Force over a fake petition that he is an arms dealer.

According to SaharaReporters, he is currently being questioned at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CIID) of the Cross River Police Command.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Sikiru had invited Mr. Jalingo to his office for an interview over the planned #June12 protests.

After the meeting, he asked the duo of Mr. Jalingo and CrossRiverWatch News Editor, Jonathan Ugbal to ensure the planned action was peaceful as the command will not fold its arms and watch it degenerate into a riot.

The duo were then taken by the Officer in Charge of Intelligence, Cajethan Onwusor to the State Intelligence Bureau office where they were profiled, their photographs taken and biometrics captured.

They were then asked to wait and after over an hour, an unnamed official from the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID) came and call the duo to his office, which is the first by the right on the top floor of the SCIID building.

Upon arrival, he called the Officer in Charge of Human Rights Unit, Simeon Nwaguru and told him “see the two of them here….”

Mr. Simeon read a two-page document handed over to him by the unnamed officer and then called Mr. Jalingo and handed it over to him.

After glancing through, Mr. Jalingo turned, looked at Jonathan and said: “You were right, these people have cooked a petition that I am an arms dealer and the group has no physical address while the person who sent it did not sign and has no phone number.”

Efforts to reach the CP to inquire whether the invitation was for the purpose of the petition have failed so far with police officers saying he had gone for prayers.

Jalingo is still facing trial for alleged acts of terrorism, treasonable felony and attempts to topple the Cross River State Government over an article he wrote in June 2019, asking for the whereabouts of the N500 million approved and released for the floating of the Cross River State Microfinance Bank.

The arrest, legal practitioners say is in contravention of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which states that unless one is caught in the act, one cannot be arrested until investigation is concluded.

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Source: SaharaReporters