The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday, July 8th, made a decision that will significantly impact Agba Jalingo’s life.
The court discharged and acquitted Jalingo, the publisher of Cross Rivers Watch, of cybercrime charges brought against him by the Nigeria Police Force. This is a momentous event in Jalingo’s life.
On Monday, CrossRiversWatch, where Agba Jalingo serves as the publisher, took the lead in reporting his discharge and acquittal.
According to the publication, Judge Joyce Abdlumalik found Mr Agba Jalingo not guilty of the crimes the Police accused him of.
Mr Jalingo, an online publisher, was prosecuted over a Facebook post in which he allegedly claimed that Alami Ayade, the wife of the younger brother to the former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Prof. Ben Ayade, contracted someone to write a law examination for her at the Nigerian Law School, Abuja.
The Police arrested him over publication in August 2022 at his residence in Lagos and brought him to Abuja for prosecution.
He was arraigned in 2023 before Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court Abuja. Mr Jalingo was remanded at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, but later granted bail.
It will be recalled that Mr Jalingo was also arrested in 2019 and incarcerated for about 179 days in Calabar and was charged with terrorism, treasonable felony and cybercrime for allegedly accusing the Former Governor of diverting the sum of 500,000 million Naira belonging to the Cross Rivers State Government.