By Archibong Jeremiah
The Igbo National Council (INC) has given the Cross River State Government 14 days ultimatum to release detained journalist cum rights advocate, Citizen Agba Jalingo counting from January 1 2020.
The group made its position known in a press release signed by its President, Mr. Chilos Godsent.
See release below;
We call for the unconditional Release of Comrade Agba Jalingo that was incarcerated since August 2019 by Gov Benedict Ayade of Cross River State
Comrade Agba Jalingo, a practising journalist was arrested and detained on the order of Gov Benedict Ayade since August 2019 and since then Agba Jalingo is been wantonly reminded in prison even when the purported allegations leveled against was a bailable offence.
We do not know when it had become offence in Nigeria for a citizen to demand accountability on how public fund is been spent by a public office holder especially when the man at harms of affairs is a Professor.
The Igbo National Council (INC) had keenly watched the intrigues surrounding the prosecution of Comrade Agba Jalingo with dissatisfaction.
On the foregoing, the Igbo National Council (INC) therefore call on Gov. Benedict Ayade of Cross River State to respect the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guaranteed Freedom of Expression and the Fundamental Human Rights of Comrade Agba Jalingo, and thus, quickly release him from detention within the next fourteen days from January 1st 2020.
We can no longer condole the tendencies of Gov Benedict Ayade to strange Freedom of Speech and Human Rights in Cross River State, therefore turning the State into den despotism and dictatorship of an oppressor.
We therefore State that if our demand to unconditionally release comrade Agba Jalingo within fourteen days as stated above is treated with levity, INC will not hesitate to mobilize the entire civil society organizations and Human Rights activists to storm Calabar for mother of all protest to demand for the immediate resignation or impeachment of Prof Benedict Ayade as Governor of Cross River State.
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