Foreign

Global Media Demands End to Gaza Journalists Killings

By Web News 152

Nearly 200 media organisations from about 50 countries are set to stage a coordinated global protest on Monday, demanding an immediate halt to the killing of journalists in Gaza and unrestricted access for international press into the enclave.

According to the organisers, Reporters without Borders, Avaaz, and the International Federation of Journalists, the protest will see newspapers publish blacked-out front pages, radio and television stations interrupt programming. At the same time, online platforms will disrupt their homepages as a mark of solidarity.

The demonstration comes amid growing concern over the rising death toll of journalists since the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war in October last year.

Reports indicate that more than 150 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in recent history.

Media rights groups accused Israel of deliberately targeting journalists and restricting coverage of the war, allegations Israel denies, insisting it does not intentionally attack members of the press.

Organisers say the protest was aimed at pressing world leaders and the United Nations, UN, to take urgent steps to protect journalists and ensure media access to conflict zones, stressing that the free flow of information is critical to global accountability.

CNN/Adetutu Adetule/Taiwo Akinola

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Crime

Cross Over Night : Police Arrest Suspect Over Killing of Couple

By Web News 1348

Ogun state Police Command says, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the Couple killed in a mysterious fire at their resident in Government Reservation Area, Ibara,  Abeokuta  on their return from cross over New Year church service. 

According to the state command spokesperson, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi while speaking with Radio Nigeria on the incident said investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Mr. Oyeyemi said one of the two children of the victims taken away by the suspected assailants has been recovered while search party has being working to rescue the second child.

The husband, Mr. Kehinde Fatinoye was reported to be a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, while the wife, Mrs. Bukola Fatinoye was a staff of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta before their gruesome murder.

Wale Oluokun

Foreign

Shinzo Abe Killing: Japan Police Faults Security

By Web News 428

Japanese police have admitted there were flaws in the security for former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead in the southern city of Nara on Friday.

“It is undeniable that there were problems in the security,” said Nara police chief Tomoaki Onizuka.

A gunman opened fire on Abe at a political campaign event – a crime that has profoundly shocked Japan.

Sunday’s elections for the upper house are going ahead as planned.

Voting began at 07:00 local time, 22:00GMT, just two days after Abe’s assassination.

Analysts suggest his killing could boost support for the governing Liberal Democratic Party, LDP , for which Abe was a leading and hugely influential figure.

Elections for Japan’s less-powerful upper house of parliament are typically seen as a referendum on the current government.

Campaigning continued on Saturday with tighter than usual security.

Police say the suspect, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, held a grudge against a “specific organisation”.

Japanese media quote sources close to the investigation, who say Yamagami believed Abe to be linked to a religious group which, Yamagami alleged, had ruined his mother financially.

The suspect has admitted shooting Abe with a homemade gun, according to police.

“The urgent matter is for us to conduct a thorough investigation to clarify what happened,” police chief Onizuka said, without specifying where he saw failings. He was on the verge of tears, addressing journalists.

Yamagami told police he had served in Japan’s navy, the Maritime Self-Defense Force, for three years. More recently, he had worked at a factory in western Japan.

Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and died aged 67. He was campaigning for the LDP in the run-up to upper house parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, also an LDP member, said he was “simply speechless”, vowing that Japan’s democracy would “never yield to violence”.

He said the election campaign would continue on Saturday with tightened security, with Sunday’s vote still set to go ahead.

Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan, where handguns are banned and incidences of political violence are almost unheard of.

Police are investigating why Abe was targeted and whether his killer acted alone.

Abe was giving a speech on behalf of a political candidate at a road junction when he was shot from behind. Photos show the suspect standing close to Abe moments beforehand.

Witnesses described seeing a man carrying a large gun moving within a few metres of Abe and firing twice. The former prime minister fell to the ground as bystanders screamed in shock and disbelief.


BBC /Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

Pope Condemns Killing of Priests in Mexico

By Web News 479

The bodies of two Catholic priests and a tour guide who were shot dead inside a church in northern Mexico have finally been found.

The three were killed last Monday after a suspected run-in with a wanted drug trafficker in the state of Chihuahua.

Report says, the priests were gunned down while trying to help the guide, who ran into their church for help.


Pope Francis condemned the killings, calling it a shocking reminder of the level of violence in Mexico.

“We’ve found and recovered… the bodies of the Jesuit priests Javier Campos, Joaquín Mora and the tour guide Pedro Palma,” Chihuahua Governor Maria Eugenia Campos said in a video posted to social media.

Palma was fleeing an armed gang when he sought refuge in a church in the town of Cerocahui, before being shot dead along with the two priests who tried to intervene, the Chihuahua prosecutor’s office said.

The three bodies were then taken away by a group of men in a pickup truck, Luis Gerardo Moro, head of the religious order in Mexico, said in a radio interview.

The suspect, who was identified by another priest who was in the church, was already wanted for the murder of an American tourist in 2018, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. The suspect has been named as Jose Noriel Portillo Gil.

The president added that Palma’s wife was one of two people who were kidnapped on Monday before the killings, and is still missing

Pope Francis expressed dismay over the killings.

“So many murders in Mexico. I am close, in affection and prayer, to the Catholic community affected by this tragedy,” the pontiff said at the end of his weekly audience at the Vatican.

A reward of 5 million pesos, $249,300; £203,000, for information relating to the suspect’s whereabouts has been announced.

Some 30 priests have been killed in Mexico in the past decade, according to the Centro Catolico Multimedial, a Catholic organisation.


BBC /Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

Tenant Jailed for Killing Couple during Lockdown

By Web News 506

A man who stabbed his two landlords to death during the first lockdown has been jailed for life.

Daniel Briceno Garcia, 46, unleashed a “brutal and frenzied attack” on Sonia Butron Calvi, 66, and Edgar Aguilera Daza, 60, on 1 April 2020.

The couple were found lying in a “bloodbath” at their home in Stockwell, south London.

Garcia was ordered to serve a minimum of 33 years having previously been found guilty of murder.

Ms Calvi and Mr Daza were subletting rooms at the house in Dorset Road to six Spanish-speaking tenants, including Garcia.

On the day she died, Ms Calvi had told one of the other tenants that the defendant was “constantly in a bad mood”, jurors heard.

Later that afternoon, another tenant heard a shout and opened her bedroom door to see Garcia repeatedly stabbing Mr Daza in the stomach.

The defendant was holding him around the neck, the court heard, as Ms Calvi screamed: “Daniel, no, Daniel. Daniel, I’m going to call the police.”

Sonia Butron Calvi was found lying face down in the kitchen while Edgar Aguilera Daza was discovered in a pool of blood



When the witness tried to leave her room after the attack, Garcia, who was wearing white cleaning gloves, told her to lock herself inside.

The court heard six 999 calls were made on Garcia’s phone before police arrived and his hands were bleeding when he opened the door.

Prosecutor Tom Little QC Little said: “What was found at the property can only be properly described as a bloodbath.”

Mr Daza was found in a pool of blood in the hallway and Ms Calvi was lying face down in the kitchen with a knife clenched in her hand.

The murder weapon was found in Garcia’s bedroom, as well as a whiteboard with writing in French and Spanish referring to the Covid crisis, the court heard.

The jury was told Garcia had been worried about the risks of Covid as well as paying his rent during the pandemic.

He admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming he was hearing voices at the time of the killings.

BBC/Taiwo Akinola

Foreign

Russian soldier pleads guilty to killing civilian during first war crimes trial in Ukraine

By Web News 465

Report says that, Vadim Shishimarin admitted shooting a 62-year-old man a few days after the invasion began. He faces life in jail.

The prisoner was brought into the tiny Kyiv courtroom in handcuffs, flanked by heavily armed guards. He looked nervous, and kept his head bowed.

The widow of the man killed was sitting just a couple of metres away from him.

She wiped tears from her eyes as the soldier entered court, then sat with hands clasped as the prosecutor set out his case, describing the moment Kateryna’s husband, Oleksandr Shelipov, was shot in the head.

“Do you accept your guilt?” the judge asked. “Yes,” Shishimarin replied.

“Totally?” “Yes,” he replied quietly from behind the glass of his grey metal-and-glass cage.

Prosecutors say Shishimarin was commanding a unit in a tank division when his convoy came under attack.

He and four other soldiers stole a car, and as they travelled near Chupakhivka, they encountered the 62-year-old on a bicycle, they said.

According to prosecutors, Shishimarin was ordered to kill the civilian and used a Kalashnikov assault rifle to do so.

The Kremlin said earlier it was not informed about the case.

Shishimarin’s trial was adjourned shortly after the civilian’s widow heard for the first time the Russian soldier admit to the murder. This high profile hearing will restart on Thursday in a larger courtroom.

Oleksandr’s widow told the BBC how she was coping, before she left the court for the day.

“I feel very sorry for him [Shishimarin],” she said. “But for a crime like that – I can’t forgive him.”

Ukraine has so far identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes committed by Russia.

The country’s chief prosecutor Iryna Venediktova tweeted: “By this first trial, we are sending a clear signal that every perpetrator, every person who ordered or assisted in the commission of crimes in Ukraine shall not avoid responsibility,”

Moscow has denied its troops have targeted civilians, but investigators have been collecting evidence of possible war crimes to bring before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The ICC is sending a team of 42 investigators, forensics experts and support staff to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine has also set up a team to preserve evidence to enable future prosecutions.

BBC/Taiwo Akinola

Crime

Police Arrests Fashion Designer Over Killing In Ogun

By Web News 1170

Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 32 year old fashion designer, Omowumi Oyapitan, for allegedly killing a 30 year old Mohammed Ahmed in Ota area of the state.

The suspect was arrested after the policeman attached to Onipanu divisional headquarters received a distress call from the managing director of an Inn in the area, Stephen Udo that the suspect had allegedly stabbed the deceased to death during an argument.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the arrest of the suspect in a statement in Abeokuta.

Mr Oyeyemi said the suspect was trying to intervene in a case involving the victim and a boy she claimed to know over the money the deceased had allegedly stolen from his place of work.

He noted that the deceased was not pleased with the suspect’s intervention and gave her a fist blow in the mouth and in retaliation, she broke a bottle and used it to stab the deceased on his neck. 

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Lanre Bankole has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution. 

Olusegun Folarin

Crime

Liquor Seller Stabs Customer to Death With Broken Bottle in Osun

By Web News 670

A liquor seller identified as Mumini Olanipekun has been arrested by the Osun police authority for stabbing a customer to death in Ifon-Orolu.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening when Mumini reportedly stabbed his customer, identified as Wale to death at Janta area, Ifon-Orolu after an argument between them.

An eyewitness, Sina Adeosun told Radio Nigeria that at about eight o’clock in the evening many customers were drinking and discussing various issues including football and politics when the two started shouting at each other.

He said suddenly Mumini took a wine bottle broke it on the floor and stabbed his victim in the chest, neck and stomach.

The deceased who at this point was bleeding profusely was rushed to a hospital in the town but was said to have died before he could be attended to.

Another resident of the community said Mumini reported himself at Ifon-Orolu police division on Monday morning.

Confirming the incident, Osun police spokesperson, Mrs. Yemisi Opalola said the liquor seller killed one of his customer, adding that he has been arrested and investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Akinola Adenitan

News Security

Gunmen Kill Policeman In Ogun

By Web News 614

A policeman has been reportedly killed by gunmen during the abduction of four railway workers at Alaagba village in Odeda local government of Ogun state.

The abducted workers are said to be staff of the Chinese company handling the Lagos-Ibadan standard guage railway project.

The Baale of Alaagba village, a border village between Oyo and Ogun state, Chief Adekunle Olabamiji, confirmed the incident while speaking to newsmen on phone.

He said, the  gunmen killed the police escort while struggling to abduct the four Chinese workers.

A youth leader at Alaagba village, Mr. Azeez Adila also confirm the incident noting that the village youths made attempt to rescue the expatriates from the abductors which was not successful.

The Ogun state police command reaction on the incident is being awaited as at time of filing the report.

Wale Oluokun

Crime

Police Apprehend Man for Allegedly Killing Girlfriend in Ogun

By Web News 729

Men of the Ogun state police command have arrested a thirty-one-year-old man, an indigene of Ebonyi state over alleged murder of his girlfriend.

In a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi said the arrest followed a report by one Adebayo Aladesuyi who is a manager of a hotel in Ibafo revealing that during a routine check of the hotel room by the management, the dead body of the occupant of one of the rooms was discovered with bruises on her neck suggesting that she might have been strangulated.

Mr  Oyeyemi said the DPO, Ibafo division, Mr Jide Joshua had led his detectives to the scene and recovered the corpse to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Shagamu for post mortem examination.

According to him, preliminary investigation reveals that the deceased checked into the hotel with a man who sneaked out of the hotel after killing the woman.

He explained that, the technical and intelligence based investigation by the DPO led to unraveling of the identity of the suspect and was subsequently traced and apprehended by the detectives.

The PPRO noted that on interrogation, the suspect confessed checking into the hotel with the deceased and that they had a misunderstanding which led to physical assault between them. 

The suspect further confessed to have left the corpse of the deceased in the room and sneaked out of the hotel after she collapsed and gave up the ghost during the heated misunderstanding

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Awolowo Ajogun has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and diligent prosecution.

He also appealed to hoteliers in the state to always have proper documentation of their customers in order to assist the police in such situation.

Francisca Irekpita