By Ogar MONDAY
IN the dim light of early morning on August 22, 2019, armed men stormed Agba Jalingo’s Lagos residence. His wife and daughter barely had time to react before the shouting began. The founder and publisher of CrossRiverWatch was taken away by security operatives, leaving his family stunned and terrified.
“I knew the risks when I started. But I never imagined the intensity of the attacks that would follow—or how deeply it would shake my family, my staff, even my own resolve,” Jalingo said.
Since its founding in 2012, CrossRiverWatch has worked to scrutinise official claims, investigate allegations of corruption, and amplify grassroots voices—earning both praise from the public and pushback from authorities.
For Jalingo and his team, the consequences of challenging power have included arrests, legal pressure, financial instability, and ongoing surveillance.
For Jalingo and his team, the consequences of challenging power have included arrests, legal pressure, financial instability, and ongoing surveillance.
What’s happening in Cross River State is not isolated. Nigeria’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has declined in recent years, with watchdog organisations warning of a growing trend of using state institutions to suppress independent journalism.
However, CrossRiverWatch experiences in Cross River have drawn particular attention for their intensity.
The making af a target
The August 2019 arrest was not Jalingo’s first encounter with authorities, but it was his most public. The trigger? A report questioning the status of N500 million reportedly approved for the establishment of the Cross River State Microfinance Bank.
The state government claimed the report was defamatory. Security operatives treated the matter as a national security concern.
Following his arrest, the Association of Cross River Online Journalists (ACROJ) described the situation as evidence that the state had “taken a huge leap backwards in terms of the protection of journalists.”
The Association criticised the police, who had arrested Jalingo, and driven him by road to Calabar, stating that the very institution meant to “protect and uphold the integrity of our Constitution and the rights of journalists has instead taken the opposite role.
The association criticized the police for arresting Jalingo and transferring him by road to Calabar, stating that the agency responsible for protecting rights was instead undermining them.
“This poses a great concern that must not be overlooked,” ACROJ stated.
Jalingo was charged with terrorism, treasonable felony, and attempting to overthrow the Cross River State government, then led by Governor Ben Ayade. He spent 179 days in detention, much of it in the Afokang Medium Security Custodial Centre in Calabar.
Thirty months later, Ijeoma Ojukwu, a judge of the Federal High Court in Calabar, citing Section 355 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, dismissed the case and acquitted Jalingo on all four counts.
“Their intention was to scare me, push me until I break,” Jalingo said.
But it was not the last time he would face detention.
A new arrest
On August 19, 2022, officers from the FCT Police Command again arrived at Jalingo’s Lagos home. According to his account, his wife and daughter were held for hours before he was arrested and moved to Abuja. The arrest according to CrossRiverWatch followed a petition from Alami Ayade, sister-in-law to former Governor Ayade, who alleged defamation after a published a story implying she had received assistance during her bar examinations.
Jalingo was detained at Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre for one week before being granted bail. Joyce Abdulmalik, a judge, later dismissed the charges. The police have since filed an appeal.
Not just Jalingo
Other CrossRiverWatch staff have also faced harassment.
Jonathan Ugbal, the site’s Managing Editor, was covering the #EndHunger protest in Calabar on August 1, 2023, when he says armed police operatives targeted him.
“They asked for ‘the guy doing the livestream,’ and I was the one in the green shirt,” Ugbal said.
“When I identified myself, they kicked and beat me. They demanded my phone. When I refused, they tied my hands and dragged me to the State CID.”
He says he was stripped, beaten again, and thrown into a cell. He was only released after intervention from the Commissioner of Police.
It wasn’t the first time. In August 2019, shortly before Jalingo’s arrest, Ugbal, CrossRiverWatch’s then-Managing Editor Jeremiah Archibong, and The Nation newspaper correspondent Nicholas Kalu were detained while covering a protest. While Kalu was released the same day, Ugbal and Archibong spent two nights in detention before securing bail. They were charged with unlawful assembly and breach of public peace, but were later acquitted by a magistrate in 2020.
“The prosecutor woefully and helplessly failed to establish a prima facie case,” ruled Chief Magistrate Rita Marshall, now a High Court judge.
“It was a needless and long trial,” Ugbal said. “It cost me an admission to the London School of Journalism and left me thoroughly traumatised.
When journalism becomes a crime
The repeated arrests have had a chilling effect on the newsroom. After Jalingo’s 2019 detention, CrossRiverWatch had to shut its office for nearly seven months.
“Five staff members left us due to fear and intimidation,” Ugbal said.
“They just didn’t want to deal with the constant troubles, and I understand.”
Finding new office space proved difficult.
“Our lawyer would negotiate rent, but once they heard the space was for CrossRiverWatch, they backed out. Always with an excuse: It was clear what was happening.”
There was also a sharp drop in financial support. During Governor Liyel Imoke’s administration, the state government maintained a small retainership with CrossRiverWatch, enough to cover essential operations. That support reportedly ended after the publication of the microfinance bank article.
“That retainership was only paid about four times, and then stopped suddenly.
“We had advertisers and donors pull away. People were careful not to be seen associating with us, they didn’t want to be labeled enemies of the government,” said Ugbai.
Timeline of ordeals
April 10, 2011: Jonathan Ugbal and Smart Agbor were arrested after Jalingo shared a photo of then-Attorney General Joe Oshie Abang asleep during a budget signing. They were later released.
August 5, 2019: Ugbal, Archibong, and Kalu were arrested during a protest. Ugbal and Archibong were detained for two days before being charged. Kalu was released same day.
December 2, 2019: Patrick Obia and another journalist was briefly detained during Jalingo’s trial as ordered by the judge. The Judge ordered that from January 2020, phones were no longer allowed and journalists needed to be vetted
June 12, 2021: Jalingo and other activists were arrested and reportedly assaulted during a protest in Rabana, Calabar.
August 19, 2022: Jalingo was arrested again, this time based on a defamation petition from Alami Ayade.
August 19, 2022: An unmarked vehicle reportedly followed two CrossRiverWatch reporters. The occupants of the vehicle brandished a weapon. Police denied involvement.
February 22, 2023: Ugbal was attacked while covering a protest by youths from the Ikot Abasi Obori community in Calabar Municipality.
August 1, 2023: Ugbal was detained again during the #EndHunger protest.
Living under watch
Beyond legal and financial threats, the psychological toll has been severe.
“We joke about it, but it’s real,” said Ugbal.
“Sometimes, when you’re out reporting, you check your rearview mirror more than your notes. You plan your exit before you park. You avoid routines. It’s mentally draining.”
Staff members report being followed, receiving anonymous threats, and, at times, being discreetly warned by sympathetic insiders to avoid certain topics or areas.
“The pressure is not abstract; it’s targeted. It feels personal,” said an editor with a local news outlet in Calabar, speaking anonymously.
“The kind of work CrossRiverWatch does embarrasses powerful people. They don’t want that kind of scrutiny, so they use it to send a message—one meant to scare the rest of us into silence,” the source added.
National groups have taken notice. The Coalition for Whistleblowers Protection and Press Freedom (CWPPF) described the harassment, particularly in Cross River, as a violation of press freedoms.
“It is the responsibility of government and all stakeholders to enforce protections that ensure journalists can do their work without fear. Anything less is a betrayal of democratic values and a disservice to the journalism profession,” CWPPF said in statement.
Still, CrossRiverWatch persists. While their physical office remains closed, the team continues to publish remotely, with official correspondence now routed through their lawyer.
“Running a newsroom shouldn’t feel like operating a resistance cell,” Ugbal said. “But that’s what it’s come to. Still, we continue.”
This report republished from CrossRiverWatch was produced by CrossRiverWatch in collaboration with the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development ((CJID)), under its Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) project, documenting issues related to press freedom in Nigeria.
