Justice Zainab Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday remanded a journalist and publisher of CrossRiverWatch, Mr. Agba Jalingo, at the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Kuje for allegedly defaming Mrs. Elizabeth Ayade.
Elizabeth is wife of Mr. Frank Ayade, younger brother of the governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade.
Jalingo is in the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/565/2022, which borders on alleged cybercrime, accused of publishing an article intended to disparage the person of Elizabeth.
He is alleged to have committed the offence which is punishable by Section 24 (1) b of the Cybercrimes Prohibition, Prevention, Act 2015.
He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Fidelis Ogbobe, thereafter sought an adjournment for trial.
The defence counsel, Mr. Baba Isa, did not oppose but pleaded that the matter be stood down as the lead counsel, Mr. Marshal Abubakar, was on his way.
However, Ogbobe opposed the 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 contended that the excuse was a calculated attempt to postpone the arraignment and asked the court not to take the defence seriously.
Justice Abubakar refused to grant the application.
Abubakar arrived late but the judge noted that he was absent in court and also declined the defence’ request to move the motion for bail.
While adjourning the case to March 30 for hearing of the bail application and May 31 for trial, the judge ordered that Jalingo be remanded in Kuje Custodial Centre.
Recall that Elizabeth had in July 2022, through her lawyer, Mr. Uyi Obayagbona, written to 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 (Elizabeth), while the person (Elizabeth) who allegedly contracted him walked free.
She had demanded an apology to 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 N500 million as damages.
Jalingo was given a 14-day ultimatum to comply, otherwise legal proceedings would be instituted against him.
However, police operatives from the FCT Command on August 19, 2022, invaded Jalingo’s residence in Ogudu, Lagos and arrested him.
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 where it was revealed that Elizabeth had petitioned the police and accused Jalingo of allegedly defaming her character.
The accused was later released and asked to return two days later on August 22.
However, Jalingo was later told by the police to return to Lagos since the complainant failed to show up at the FCT police command.
