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Sunday Ejike
Journalist Jalingo was remanded for allegedly insulting Gov Ayade’s in-law
Justice Zainab Abubakar of a Federal High Court in Abuja, ordered the remand of a journalist and publisher of an online medium, CrossRiverWatch, Agba Jalingo, at the Kuje Custodial Center Abuja, for allegedly publishing an article that was deemed ‘insulting’ to Mrs Elizabeth Ayade.
Mrs Elizabeth Ayade is the wife of the younger brother of the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade.
The two charges bordering on alleged false publication intended to cause annoyance, ill will, and insult to the person of Mrs Ayade, wife to Mr Frank Ayade, were preferred against Mr Jalingo in suit numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/565/2022.
The journalist allegedly committed an offence punishable under Section 24 (1)b of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.
Upon arrangement on Monday, Jalingo pleaded not guilty to both charges when they were read out to him in the open court.
The prosecution counsel, Fidelis Ogbobe, sought a date to commence trial which the defense counsel, Baba Isa, did not oppose but pleaded that the matter be stood down as the lead defense counsel, Marshal Abubakar, was on his way.
However, Ogbobe opposed Isa’s application, citing Section 354 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 which stipulates that when parties are called, the court shall proceed to hear the matter.
He argued that, “The excuse is a calculated attempt to postpone the arraignment,” and asked the court to not take the defence seriously.
Meanwhile, Isa pleaded that the sins of the counsel should not be visited on the defendant, in the interest of justice.
However, Justice Abubakar indulged the prosecution counsel and did not grant Isa’s application.
When Mr Marshall Abubakar appeared in court, Justice Abubakar noted that in her records, he was absent from court, as she also declined the defense’ request to move the motion for bail.
Justice Abubakar subsequently ordered that Jalingo be remanded at the Kuje Custodial Center, and adjourned the matter till March 30, 2023, to take the defendant’s bail application and May 31, 2023 for trial.
Mrs Elizabeth Ayade had, in July 2022, through her lawyer, Uyi Obayagbona, written to Mr Jalingo, seeking a retraction of an article that queried why a suspended staff of the University of Calabar, Paschal Aboh, was facing trial for allegedly impersonating a student of the Nigerian Law School, Abuja campus (Mrs Ayade), while the person (Mrs Ayade) who allegedly contracted him walks free.
Mrs Ayade had demanded that an apology be published in two national dailies, including, but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, and “Cross River Watch” (not CrossRiverWatch), as well as a payment of NGN500 million in damages.
Jalingo was given a 14-day ultimatum to comply, otherwise legal proceedings will be filed against him.
However, police operatives from the FCT Command on August 19, 2022, stormed Jalingo’s Ogudu residence in Lagos State and arrested him, several hours after holding his wife and daughter hostage.
He was subsequently detained at the Alapere police station and later at Area F Command in Ikeja before he was flown to Abuja the next day. It was revealed that Mrs Ayade had petitioned the police and accused Jalingo of allegedly defaming her character.
Jalingo was released at night and asked to return two days later on August 22, but was later told by the police to return back to Lagos since Mrs Ayade failed to show up at the FCT Police Command.
In January 2023, the police reportedly abandoned the criminal defamation allegation, and opted to charge Jalingo for alleged cybercrime.
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