A Federal High Court sitting in Calabar has granted leave to the prosecution team to present masked witnesses in the trial of journalist, Agba Jalingo.
The publisher of CrossRiverWatch newspaper is being tried for terrorism, treasonable felony and attempt to topple the Cross River State Government.
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Mr Jalingo had alleged that Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, approved and diverted N500 million for Cross River Microfinance bank.
However, the court on Wednesday granted the prosecution’s request to present masked witnesses despite refusal from the defence.
The CrossRiverWatch had written several reports detailing allegations of fraud linking Mr Ayade to funds allegedly diverted through the bank.
Arrested on August 22, Jalingo spent 34 days in police detention before being arraigned on September 25.
Premium Times said on Thursday that Jalingo’s lawyer, James Ibor, confirmed the court’s decision to grant the prosecution’s request.
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“Yes it’s true. The court unfortunately granted that request by the prosecution despite our arguments,” Mr Ibor was quoted saying.
On October 4, Jalingo arrived the court in cuffs wearing a black T-shirt with the inscription “Journalism Is Not A Crime”.
