By Remi Ladigbolu, Punch Newspaper Denis Odama is free. But perhaps he should never have been in jail. Odama, a Cross River businessman and social commentator, was arrested in Lagos on August 9 and taken to Calabar after a police petition accused him and others of cyberbullying, defamation and incitement against the Cross River State
By CrossRiverWatch Admin A Magistrate Court sitting in Calabar and presided over by Mrs. Mercy Ene has discharged businessman, Denis Odama after the prosecutors withdrew the holding charge filed against him for bullying Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State online. The discharge followed the application made by the prosecution, led by F. O. Okoi
By Patrick Obia The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu has ordered the immediate release of incarcerated businessman and social commentator, Dennis Odama from Afokang prison. Governor Otu who gave the order on his verified Facebook page on Wednesday August 19, 2026 said he has been briefed on the matter. Sources from the
The reported arrest and transfer of Cross Riverian, Denis Odama, over allegations relating to his criticism of the government raises a fundamental question about the kind of leadership we want for Cross River. Let me be clear: leadership is not intimidation. When a citizen disagrees with a government, the first responsibility of leadership is to
Nigeria abandoned the parliamentary system after the military coup that ended the first republic and copied presidential democracy from America. Democracy is not African. Democratically elected leaders are not monarchs. They are politically exposed persons, subject to harsh criticism and public opprobrium. In Africa, we revere our elders and monarchs and rarely criticize them publicly.