2 October 2019
Police arrest another critic of Gov. Ayade, accused him of ‘terrorism’ September 30, 2019 Cletus Ukpong. The police have arrested a Nigerian lawyer, Joseph Odok, over allegation of ‘terrorism’.
He has been in police detention in Calabar, Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, for four days now.
Mr Odok, a native of the state, is an avowed critic of Governor Ben Ayade.
He was arrested by two police officers on Thursday in Abuja and taken to Calabar by road, his wife, Cecelia, told Reporters, Sunday evening.
“The police said they have been trailing him for about two weeks; they have been tracking his phone line,” she said.
She said Mr Ayade was behind her husband’s arrest and detention. “Somebody warned my husband on Facebook that they will soon give him the same treatment they are giving to Agba Jalingo,” she said.
Mr Jalingo, a journalist and publisher of CrossRiverWatch, an online newspaper with focus on Cross River State, is in prison in Calabar, charged with treason, over a report about an alleged diversion of N500 million by the Cross River governor.
“They (Cross River government) have a hand in my husband’s arrest,” Mrs Odok insisted.
Mr Odok’s counsel, Oliver Osang, corroborated the claim made by the wife to the detained lawyer.
“From the way the police put it, it is coming from the government of Cross River State,” Mr Osang said of his client’s arrest.
“As at yesterday (Saturday) when I was at the police station, they said it is terrorism. It’s frivolous. You know, they want to look for anything possible to charge him,” he told Reporters, Sunday evening.
Source: PremiumTimes
