By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Trial of Citizen Agba Jalingo, the Nigerian Journalist facing trial for alleged acts of treason and terrorism over an opinion article he wrote in July 2019 has been adjourned to April 20, for hearing.
Commencement of hearing was scheduled for today Monday, March 1, 2021 for hearing but the court did not sit said, Barrister Kehole Enya Counsel to Citizen Jalingo who spent 144 out of the 179 days he spent incarcerated at the Medium Security Custodial Center (Afokang prisons) at Nigeria’s Southern port city of Calabar.
Comrade Ken Henshaw, Executive Director of We The People said: “Unfortunately I don’t reside here I had to travel from Port Harcourt, Jalingo has gone through a lot. I feel terribly disappointed not because I travelled down here but because the trauma continues, the stall of the the life of Jalingo continues”.
He advised that “Court processes in Nigeria need to recognize the fact that not everybody leave next to the courtroom. The adjournment is not fair, I feel disappointed especially because his charges are trumped up”.
On his part, Comrade Tijah-Bolton Akpan Executive Director of Policy Alert, the oppressors will soon runout of tactics.
“We knew from the beginning there is no case that is why they keep adjourning and they will continue to adjourn until they realize they need to throw it out.
“The reality is that where we are now as Nigeria, its sad where we have people who speak up for justice and they are being tried for terrorism when we have the terrorists thriving in the resources of the State,” he said.
The Managing Editor of CrossRiverWatch, Comrade Archibong Jeremiah also expressed disappointment with the manner at which the case is handled, in his words: “I feel disappointed as a citizen, I don’t know why they will allow him fly all the way to Calabar from Lagos just to be told at the dying minute that the court will not sit”.
Soliloquizing he said, “I think the court ought to think about doing something about his fare, again why is he being tried? Journalism is not a crime, why charge him for treason and terrorism for doing hiss job as investigative journalist”.
See pictures below.
