A federal high court in Calabar on Thursday, finally granted bail to detained journalist Agba Jalingo.  Justice Sule Shuaibu granted the bail after Cross Rivers State Government reverted to the initial; charges of terrorism and conspiracy to remove elected governor from office.

Justice Sule Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Calabar, Cross River State, granted Jalingo who spent 175 days in detention, bail in the sum of N10 million with one surety in like sum.

In granting the bail, Justice Shuaibu attached other conditions such as; Jalingo must not travel outside the country without the consent of the court, deposit refundable cash of N700,000 with the court registrar, who will pay it into an interest-yielding account with a commercial bank, and the surety must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court with a verifiable address and show means that he will be able to forfeit the bail bond.

Other conditions are that both the defendant and the surety must each submit two passport photographs to the court, and Jalingo must depose to an oath that he will be available in court for trials. The judge adjourned the matter to the 6th, 7th and 8th of April 2020 for the prosecution to open and close its case while other motions may be treated before that day.

Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River state, had initially said that he is not behind the trial and detention of the publisher of CrossRiverWatch.

Jalingo was first arraigned in August after a story he published on how Ayade allegedly approved and diverted N500 million meant for Cross River State Microfinance Bank.

Details later.