Crime & Court
Somaliland journalists jailed on propaganda charges
A Somaliland regional court on Monday sentenced journalists Mohamed Abdilaahi Dabshid and Ahmed Dirie Liltire, to two years of prison on charges of conducting propaganda against the state, bringing Somaliland into contempt and “bringing the flag or national emblem of a foreign state” into contempt, according to a statement by the Human Rights Center (HRC), which quoted the lawyer in the case, Abibakar Sheikh Mohamoud.
Police in the city of Borama arrested Mohamed and Ahmed on December 26, 2017, following the publication of a story they allegedly wrote for the privately owned news website Xeegonews, which reported that Ethiopian rebel militias were training in the Awdal region of Somaliland, Yahye Ahmed, executive director of the Somaliland Journalists Association (SOLJA) and Guleid Ahmed Jama, chairperson of the Human Rights Center, a non-governmental organization based in Hargeisa, told CPJ. Guleid told CPJ that the story was quoted in the charge sheet against the two journalists but he could not find the story on the site and he had not seen it.
CPJ could not locate the story on Xeegonews and the site’s owners did not respond to a January 4 email asking about Mohamed and Ahmed’s case.
“These heavy prison sentences are yet further evidence of the Somaliland government’s slow strangulation of media freedom,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney in New York. “We demand the release of Mohamed Abdilaahi Dabshid and Ahmed Dirie Liltire pending appeal.”
According to the HRC statement, the lawyer said the journalists will appeal the ruling. CPJ was unable to determine if an appeal has been scheduled.
Somaliland’s information minister, Abdurrahman Abdullahi Farah, did not pick up repeated phone calls nor respond to text messages. The CPJ’s phone calls to Somaliland’s chief justice, Adam Haji Ali, were not answered.
Salma Sheikh, who said that she is a management consultant and planning head for the information ministry, told CPJ that the office would look into the case in five days.
In addition to their work for Xeegonews, Mohamed works for the privately owned Kalsan TV, and Ahmed works as a correspondent for the Puntland-based Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), a non-governmental media group, Yahye Ahmed and Yahye Ismail Sheikh, the East Africa head of Kalsan TV, told CPJ.
Conditions for journalists in semi-autonomous Somaliland have steadily deteriorated in recent months with authorities using allegations of false news to muzzle the press. One Somali journalist, Mohamed Adan Dirir, is serving a sentence of 18 months on charges of false news.
Crime & Court
EFCC Secures Public Summons Against Yahaya Bello in ₦110bn Case
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.
Crime & Court
Police Officer Stabs Civilian to Death Over ‘Uncleared Transaction’
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.
Crime & Court
Police Summon Officers Over Alleged N1m Corps Members’ Extortion
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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