Mr Agba Jalingo, an activist and publisher of Cross River Watch, an online newspaper; the paper’s news editor, Jonathan Ugbal; and its lawyer, James Ibor, were on June 12, 2021arrested by men of the Nigeria Police in front of the Cross River Watch’s office in Calabar, Cross River State, over this year’s Democracy Day protest in the city.
They were standing in front of the premises of Cross River Watch, as that is where the police commissioner authorised them to protest, sharing leaflets to passers-by when the police suddenly swooped on them, firing tear-gas and later arrested them.
Mr Jalingo was initially arrested on June 11 over a petition that he was into gun running. He had gone to the police headquarters in Calabar to honour an invitation from the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Kayode Sikiru, where a copy of the petition was shown to him. He was detained for some hours and later released after he had made a statement in response to the petition.
