The Igbo National Council (INC) has called on the Governor of Cross River Sate, Benedict Ayade to order the release of a practicing journalist, Agba Jalingo, who was arrested since August 2019 on his alleged orders.
According to a statement by INC’s president,Chilos Godsent, the journalist was arrested and detained for demanding accountability on how public fund was spent in the state.
The group expressed displeasure at the continued detention of Jalingo an called on Ayade to respect the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which guaranteed freedom of expression and the fundamental human rights of Jalingo, by releasing the journalist from detention within the next fourteen days beginning from January 1, 2020.
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“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.m,” the statement read.