TERRORISM CHARGES: Agba jalingo freed
Emmanuel Alfred
Agba Jalingo, a Nigerian journalist and activist who was charged with alleged terrorism, treason and cyber crimes in 2019, has been freed of all charges.
This happened on Monday, March 21, 2022, by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of a Federal High Court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State.
This came after the decision of the Cross River State Government to withdraw the charges it filed against him.
Recall that the State Government had taken over the prosecution from the Federal Government in February 2020 when Jalingo was admitted to bail after spending 179 days in incarceration.
The Director of Public Prosecution in the State, John Ogban Esq., told the court at the resumed hearing that he received the directives of the State Attorney General, Tanko Ashang to discontinue the case.
Ogban, who was slammed by Justice Ojukwu at the last adjourned date said they had filed a further amended charge before now but made a verbal application for the withdrawal of the case.
When asked if he was withdrawing totally and will no longer prosecute the charge, Ogban answered in the affirmative
The defence, led by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN did not object to the verbal application and commended the directive.
“We commend the Honourable Attorney General of the State for taking this decision. We are happy that our harassment has ended,” Olumide-Fusika who was accompanied by F. Baba Isa and Kehole Enya said.
He further prayed the court to release the sum paid as the bail bond into an interest yielding account by the defendant.
The matter was then stood down for the Court to verify the payment date among other items.
And, upon resumption, Justice Ojukwu while relying on the provisions of section 355 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, acquitted Jalingo, “on all four charges. Therefore, the charge is hereby dismissed”, she stated.
On the application for the refund, the court held that the sum and the interest should be paid to Agba Jalingo.
This draws the curtain on the case so far with the Federal and State Governments failing to provide a single witness in the 30 months the trial lasted, despite an initial order to mask witnesses.
Jalingo was arrested on August 22, 2019, over an article published in July of that year wherein he demanded the whereabouts of the NGN500 million approved and released for the floating of the Cross River State Microfinance Bank.
After 34 days in police custody, he was arraigned for alleged acts of terrorism, cultism, treasonable felony and attempts to overthrow the State government. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded at the Afokang Prison.
