Human rights groups have asked Nigerian authorities to immediately release publisher Agba Jalingo and halt their harassment of journalists reporting on alleged corruption and other issues of public interest. The latest demands follow the arrest on August 22 in Lagos of Agba Jalingo, the publisher of the online news outlet Cross River Watch. Jalingo’s lawyer Attah Ochinke, and Jeremiah Achibong, an editor at Cross River Watch say police officers with Nigeria’s special anti-robbery squad arrested Jalingo and transferred him to a detention facility run by the anti-cult and anti-kidnapping police in Calabar, the capital of Nigeria’s southern Cross River state. Jalingo is being held without charge, Ochinke said.
“Nigerian authorities should immediately release Agba Jalingo and permit Cross River Watch journalists to cover issues in their state without harassment,” Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator said, adding that “the arrest and intimidation of journalists in Nigeria for their critical reporting is unacceptable, as is holding Jalingo for days without charge.”
Before his arrest, Jalingo had told CPJ over the phone that he was invited for questioning by police officers in Calabar over a complaint brought by the state-owned Cross River Microfinance Bank. On July 17, Cross River Watch had reported on alleged corruption involving the bank and Benedict Ayade, the governor of Cross River state.
A copy of the police invitation states that Jalingo was summoned because his name was mentioned in a police investigation of “conspiracy to cause unrest and conduct likely to cause breach of peace, reported by the Cross River Microfinance Bank.”
The invitation requested Jalingo attend an interview with Calabar police on August 19. Jalingo told journalists he informed the police that he would honor the invitation when he returned to Cross River state on August 26. Police instead arrested him in Lagos on August 22.
Cross River Watch reporter Ugbal Jonathan said they believe Ayade is retaliating against Cross River Watch for the outlet’s critical reporting. Achibong and Jonathan were both arrested in Cross River state earlier this month, according to CPJ.
When contacted by CPJ, Ayadele’s spokesperson Christian Ita declined to comment on Cross River Watch’s corruption allegations and said he read in the press that Jalingo’s arrest was related to his alleged involvement in the #RevolutionNow protests, held on August 5, and denied Ayade’s involvement in the arrest.
CPJ says its calls to the Cross River state police commissioner, Austin Agbonlahor, and his spokesperson, Irene Ugbo, went unanswered. A member of the board of the Microfinance Bank, Godwin Akwaji told CPJ in phone interview that he was not in a position to speak about the corruption allegations or the bank’s allegations against Jalingo