The police said they had a petition which accused Mr Jalingo of being an arms dealer.
Human rights activist, Citizen Agba Jalingo, has been released by the police in Cross River State.
Mr Jalingo, the publisher of Cross River Watch, an online newspaper, was arrested earlier on Friday at the police headquarters, Calabar, where he had gone to honour an invitation from the Commissioner of Police in the state, Kayode Sikiru.
The police said they had a petition which accused Mr Jalingo of being an arms dealer.
Mr Jalingo’s lawyer, James Ibor, who confirmed his release to PREMIUM TIMES, said the accusation was fake and that the petition was intended to prevent his client from mobilising residents for the nationwide June 12 protest in Cross River.
“He was released about 30 minutes ago, he is here with me,” Mr Ibor said.
“The letterhead (of the petition) was designed with the name ‘concerned citizens of Cross River State’, and with an address that cannot be verified, no house address, and signed by persons that cannot be verified, and there are no phone numbers.
"They alleged that Agba Jalingo is doing gun running and keeping bombs, and he is mobilising non-Cross Riverians to make Cross River State ungovernable.
"The commissioner of police has agreed with us that the petition was frivolous and not worthy of any investigation and has released him,” he said.
SaharaReporters had reported that the CrossRiverWatch Editor in Chief was arrested by the police over a fake petition that he is an arms dealer.