Crime & Court
Court sentences man to death for murder of two journalists in Iraq
Iraq’s supreme court on Monday sentenced a man to death by hanging for the murder of two journalists covering anti-government protests in the southern city of Basra last year.
Ahmad Abdessamad, a 37-year-old correspondent for Al-Dijla television station, and his cameraman Safaa Ghali, 26, were driving in their hometown of Basra in January 2020 when another vehicle pulled up, and gunmen opened fire, spraying the car with bullets.
The condemned man, identified only by the initials “H.K.”, had “confessed to all the crimes”, the court in Basra said in a statement.
The court said he had killed the two journalists “with the aim of destabilising security and stability and intimidating people for terrorist purposes”.
It did not provide further details about any group he belonged to.
He was arrested in early 2021 with four other members of a “network of 16 people responsible for assassinations”, a security official said at the time.
The decree authorising his hanging must still be signed by Iraqi President Barham Saleh, and he has 30 days to appeal.
Demonstrations erupted in October 2019 in Baghdad and across Iraq’s Shiite-majority south, railing against government graft and a lack of jobs.
Around 600 people died across Iraq and tens of thousands were wounded in violence related to the protests.
Dozens of activists have died in targeted killings or been abducted since October 2019, in attacks sometimes carried out in the dead of night by men on motorbikes.
Iraqi human rights organisations accuse the government of failing to bring the killers to justice, but Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi has repeatedly pledged to track down the gunmen.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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