By Archibong Jeremiah
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to take legal action against the Sen. Ben Ayade led Government of Cross River State.
SERAP in a twit gave the State Government ultimatum to unconditionally release incarcerated journalist, Agba Jalingo on or before Tuesday 28 January, 2020.
See twit below.
BREAKING: We’re suing Cross River State government, @senatorbenayade & @OfficialPDPNig if journalist Agba Jalingo is not unconditionally released by Tuesday 28, Jan. 2020.
Rights to freedom of expression & the media MUST BE UPHELD.
IMPUNITY for attacks on journalists MUST END.
— SERAP (@SERAPNigeria) January 24, 2020
Agba Jalingo is the publisher of CrossRiverWatch was recently awarded the Gani Fawehinmi Award for Integrity wrote an article in July demanding the whereabouts of the NGN500 million approved and released by the Cross River State Government for the floating of the Cross River Microfinance bank.
His arrest, subsequent incarceration and trial has been condemned by individuals, right groups and civil society organizations with Amnesty International declaring him alongside #RevolutionNow convener, Omoyele Sowore and pro democracy activist, Olawale Bakare as prisoners of conscience.
He was listed as one of the 10 most urgent cases of threats to press freedom by the One Free Press Coalition in October. The Cross River State government accused TIME, a member of that coalition which reported the story of practicing “gutter journalism.”
Also, the Cross River State government has been fingered by many as being behind his travails, an allegation the government has continuously denied.
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