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Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan Sentenced To 10 Years Jail

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FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan (C) addresses his supporters in Gujranwala on November 1, 2022. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison, less than two weeks before the country votes in an election his party has been hamstrung from contesting.

Khan’s sentence was handed down inside Adiala jail, where he has been confined for much of the time since his August arrest and buried under an avalanche of court cases he says have been orchestrated to prevent his return to office.

 

The same sentence was handed down on Shah Mehmood Qureshi, vice-president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who served as foreign minister under Khan.

“Former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI vice-president Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each,” a spokesman for the party told AFP.

State media also reported the convictions and sentences.

The case against both men related to allegations they leaked classified state documents.

Khan was prime minister from 2018 to 2022 — when he was ousted in a no confidence vote after losing the backing of the nation’s military kingmakers.

As opposition leader he waged an unprecedented campaign of defiance against the top brass, accusing them of ousting him in a US-backed conspiracy and of plotting an assassination attempt which wounded him.

Khan was briefly arrested last May, and Islamabad used the resulting unrest to justify a sweeping crackdown on PTI which has seen many senior leaders defect or go underground.

“This is murder of justice,” said Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a human right activist and political analyst.

“But his popularity among the people will grow in leaps and bounds as his sympathisers will increase because of this gross injustice.”

PTI has been largely absent from the public sphere in the runup to elections.

The party has been stripped of its election symbol, and candidates forced to run as individuals.

At the same time Nawaz Sharif — head of one of the dynastic parties which have historically helmed Pakistan — has returned from self-imposed exile and seen his myriad convictions dissolve in the courts.

Analysts say it’s a sign the three-time former prime minister is the favoured candidate of the top brass, who have directly ruled Pakistan for much of its history.

According to Pakistan’s constitution, elections must be held within 90 days of parliament being dissolved — which happened five months ago in August.

The election commission blamed the delay on the need to redraw constituency boundaries following a new census in 2023.

In the interim Pakistan has been ruled by a caretaker government regarded as pliable by the military establishment.

 

 

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Crime & Court

Police Arrest Self-Styled PFIPC DG Hours After Court Orders His Arrest

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The police have arrested the self-styled Director-General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, hours after a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered his arrest for failing to appear for his arraignment.

Justice Mohammed Umar issued the warrant on Tuesday after granting an oral application by the prosecution counsel, Mr Wisdom Madaki, who informed the court that the defendant had failed to honour the court’s summons.

Adeyemi is facing an eight-count charge bordering on alleged forgery, fraud and impersonation.

According to the charge, the defendant allegedly held himself out as the Director-General of the PFIPC and is accused of offences involving forgery and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Following the prosecution’s application, Justice Umar ordered the defendant’s arrest to compel his appearance before the court to answer to the charges.

The police subsequently arrested Adeyemi, paving the way for his arraignment before the court.

Further details on the circumstances surrounding his arrest were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.

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Crime & Court

NDLEA busts Oyo meth lab, arrests Mexican, four Nigerians

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered and dismantled a large methamphetamine production facility concealed inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a suspected Mexican drug expert and four Nigerians in what officials described as a major breakthrough against an international drug trafficking syndicate.

The industrial-scale laboratory was discovered at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area during an operation conducted by NDLEA operatives on June 17.

Among those arrested was a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine.
Four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu were also apprehended during the raid.

The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the clandestine facility was equipped with substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

According to the agency, forensic analyses conducted at the site confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, while all recovered substances, chemicals and equipment had been secured as exhibits for further investigation and prosecution.

The discovery came barely four weeks after NDLEA operatives dismantled another large methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in neighbouring Ogun State, heightening concerns over attempts by drug cartels to turn the South-West into a hub for synthetic drug production.

Marwa said the latest operation underscored the agency’s determination to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks operating within Nigeria.

He warned both local and foreign drug syndicates against viewing the country as a safe destination for illicit drug activities.

“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international, that Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for your illicit trade,” Marwa said.

“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death.

They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong.”

The NDLEA described the operation as another significant blow against organised drug trafficking networks and commended the officers involved in the raid for their professionalism, resilience and courage.

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Police recover Rivers SUV stolen five years ago in Gombe

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Operatives of the Gombe State Police Command have recovered a Toyota Highlander reported stolen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, five years ago.

The vehicle was recovered on June 8, 2026, during a routine verification exercise conducted by detectives attached to the State Intelligence Department in collaboration with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps at the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service vehicle licensing office.

The spokesperson for the command, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, saying the vehicle was flagged as suspicious during the process of uploading and verifying vehicle records.

According to him, the joint team identified the Toyota Highlander bearing registration number FH823PHC and subjected it to further scrutiny, which revealed that it had been declared stolen on September 17, 2021.

Preliminary findings showed that the vehicle belonged to one Cecilia A. Duru of Akwaka Lane, Rumuodumaya, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Abdullahi said investigators subsequently uncovered a transnational movement of the vehicle, establishing that it was taken to the Niger Republic in 2023 before returning to Nigeria through Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State on October 17, 2025.

He added that the sport utility vehicle was later sold in Kaduna State and eventually brought to Gombe for re-registration, where it was detected and recovered by security operatives.

“Investigation is ongoing, as efforts are being intensified to identify and apprehend those involved,” the police spokesperson stated.

He urged members of the public to exercise caution when purchasing vehicles, advising intending buyers to verify ownership documents and authenticate vehicle records through the appropriate authorities before concluding any transaction.

The command reaffirmed its commitment to combating vehicle theft and other trans-border crimes, assuring residents that efforts were underway to arrest all those linked to the theft and illegal trafficking of the recovered vehicle.

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