The Nigeria Police Force has summoned the publisher of CrossRiverWatch newspaper, Agba Jalingo, over alleged defamation.
In addition to the publisher, the force headquarters summoned James Ibor, a legal practitioner and co-founder of a civil society organisation, Basic Rights Counsels Initiative, over the same petition.
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The police said they were acting on a petition against them by Ursula Agbor, a former media aide to former Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State.
Ms Agbo is a radio/TV presenter at the state-owned Cross River Broadcasting Corporation.
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The separate invitation letters, each dated 21 July and addressed to Messrs Jalingo and Ibor, state that, “The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Abuja, is investigating a case of cyberstalking and criminal defamation” against them.
The letter signed by Uche Henry, the centre’s commissioner of police, said they are summoned to appear at the Force headquarters on 28 July.
Copies of the police invitation have gone viral on different social media platforms, including Facebook.
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In separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, Messrs Jalingo and Ibor said they got the invitation letter via a WhatsApp message. Both of them said they contacted the sender and demanded details of the petition and the petitioner, but got no response.
Mr Jalingo said that although the police refused to share details of the petition with him, his findings revealed that Ms Agbor was the petitioner.
The petition, written by a lawyer on her behalf, is dated 14 July and addressed to the inspector-general of police. Ms Agbor is accusing Messrs Jalingo and Ibor of “cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and criminal defamation.”
PREMIUM TIMES has seen a page of the petition.
What led to the alleged “cyberstalking, defamation” petition
Mr Jalingo said he got to know about Ms Agbor after the latter “dragged” a restaurant operator in Calabar, Loveth Bissong, to a police station in Calabar.
“I got a video from Mr Ibor, a lawyer who followed Ms Bissong to the police station, where Ms Agbor openly harassed him and others in the presence of the divisional police officer, calling him a charge and bail lawyer.
“Later on, I found out that Ms Agbor eats at the restaurant with her boyfriend, who happens to be my brother, from my village,” he said.
Mr Jalingo said Ms Agbor later accused Ms Bissong of having an affair with her boyfriend and threatened to deal with her on a telephone call.
“I later began receiving a flurry of voice notes of Ms Agbor bragging about how someone at the Chinese Restaurant in Calabar dared her, and she locked up the person for three days, and another person at Mustard Seed Restaurant dared her, and she locked up the person.
“She bragged about how she had been dealing with people, telling Ms Bissong that the next time she dares her, she would not be alive to tell her story.”
Mr Jalingo said that Ms Agbor’s “threatening people’s lives in recorded voice notes” forced him to publish on Facebook the video of the encounter Mr Ibor had with Ms Agbor at the police station in Calabar, the day she wanted to have Ms Bissong detained.
After the publication, he received more voice notes and videos about how Ms Agbor had been instrumental in the arrest of many and how she allegedly threatened people and compelled them to apologise to her on videos. Mr Jalingo shared some of the videos and voice notes with PREMIUM TIMES.
Armed with the videos and voice notes of the alleged threats, Mr Jalingo said they wrote to the police in Calabar, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Ms Agbor for allegedly threatening people’s lives.
“The police arrested her and, after an investigation, the police arraigned her on charges of impersonation, giving false information to security agents, and conduct likely to cause a breach of public peace.
“I think that is why she petitioned me and Mr Ibor, because we did a publication that caused the police to arrest and arraign her,” he said.
Alleged voice notes, videos
In several voice notes and videos Mr Jalingo shared with this newspaper, a female voice could be heard repeatedly threatening to “crush” some other person, calling the person derogatory names. Mr Jalingo alleged that the voice notes and videos are recorded communication between Ms Agbor and Ms Bissong,
“Since you have no job, you only sit down to gossip about me, go and ask about me in the Chinese Restaurant, the one you know as Happy Food by the roadside, the day the manager dared me, I arrested him, and he was detained for two days.
“Go to Mustard Seed. The day the manager dared me, he was fired immediately, and the owner of the place called to apologise. Go to the Airport field. The day the manager tried to insult me, I detained him for three days in the police station. He apologised verbally and in writing, and he took an undertaking.
“In the compound where I live, a lady like you dared me because her husband is a (police) superintendent. I arrested and detained her for three days. Despite being a police officer’s wife, I made her understand we are not mates,” a voice said to be that of Ms Agbor is heard saying in one of the voice notes.
PREMIUM TIMES contacted Ms Agbor for comments on the matter, but she ended the call immediately after our reporter introduced himself. She did not pick up further calls.
When contacted, Mr Ibor, the lawyer, admitted he was the one Ms Agbor was abusing in the video.
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Mr Ibor is representing Ms Bissong, the restaurant operator, whom Ms Agbor wanted detained by the police.
He told PREMIUM TIMES that after the incident at the police station, he made a post on Facebook, which triggered many reactions from people who also disclosed their unpleasant experiences with Ms Agbor.
Mr Ibor further said Ms Agbor is facing trial in Calabar and that the hearing is on Monday.
The lawyer said his Facebook publication, alerting the public about the character of Ms Agbor, is what she described as “cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and defamation.”
Mr Ibor urged the inspector-general of police to warn officers not to allow themselves to be used by Ms Agbor, adding that some officers have been wrongly used by her.
When contacted, Irene Ugbo, the police spokesperson in Cross River, confirmed that Ms Agbor was arrested and arraigned in court.
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