UPDATE; Detained Cross River journalist, Agba Jalingo, granted N500,000 bail

Journalist and activist, Agba Jalingo who was remanded in prison custody on Monday, was on Thursday, granted bail in the sum of N500,000 with one surety in like sum, by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trial judge, Justice Zainab Abubakar, ordered that Jalingo, the publisher of CrossRiverWatch be remanded in prison after he was arraigned by the Nigerian Police for allegedly publishing a story against the wife of the younger brother of Governor Ben Ayade, Elizabeth Ayade, which she considered was an insult and a defamation of her character.

He was arraigned on charges bordering on cybercrime and publishing an article that disparaged Mrs. Ayade’s personality.

Jalingo, a staunch critic of the Ayade administration, was also accused of “engaging in false publication that was intended to cause annoyance, ill will and insult to the person of Mrs Ayade.”

But despite his not guilty plea to the charges levelled against him, the judge ruled that he must be remanded in prison custody pending the hearing of his bail application.

At the resumed proceedings in the matter on Thursday, the journalist, through his legal team led by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, applied to be released on bail pending the determination of the case against him.

Consequently, Justice Abubakar granted the bail application after the police lawyer, Fidelis Ogbobe did not oppose it.

Apart from the N500,000 bail bond, Justice Abubakar also held that the surety must be an owner of a landed property within the the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also ordered that the title deed of the said property must be deposited with the Deputy Registrar in charge of litigations of the Courts.

She also adjourned the case till May 31 for trial, but mandated that Jalingo should remain in prison custody pending when his bail conditions are perfected.