Police subjected Jalingo’s wife, children to ‘unwarranted harassment’ – Falana
Femi Falana, a human rights crusader and lawyer, has stated that police officers who arrested a journalist Agba Jalingo subjected his wife and children to ‘unwarranted harassment’.
Falana, (senior advocate) stated this in his statement released Saturday.
He stated that the policemen from Abuja stormed Jalingo’s Ketu home, in Lagos to arrest him.
“After subjecting his wife and children to unwarranted harassment for hours, the police arrested Agba, yanked him out and took him to the Area F Police Command, Ikeja, Lagos State where he was detained until this morning.
“I met him at the police station where he informed me that he committed no offence but that his newspaper, CrossRiverWatch had only asked why a lecturer who wrote examinations for a student in the Nigerian Law School, Abuja has been arraigned in court while the student is being treated like a sacred cow.”
The lawyer said that he requested Jalingo to be released, since it was established he didn’t commit any act offensive to the provisions of the Criminal Code.
“But the police officers informed me that his detention was ordered by the Authorities in Abuja. Thus, at about 11 am this morning he (Jalingo) was flown out of Lagos and he is currently being detained at the Criminal Investigation Department, Garki, Abuja.
“The ongoing harassment of Agba based on the allegation that he has defamed the wife of the brother of a serving Governor is the height of official impunity in a democratic society. Since defamation is not a criminal offence the action of the Police is a flagrant breach of section 8(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and section 32(2) of the Police Establishment Act 2020 which have banned the police from arresting any person in Nigeria for civil wrong or breach of contract. Therefore, the police Authorities should release Agba Jalingo unconditionally and advise the petitioner to sue for libel in a civil court,” he said.
