Crime
Six Pupils Face Charges In Beheading Of French Teacher
The first of two trials in a case that shocked France began on Monday, with six adolescents on trial in Paris for their roles in the 2020 beheading of teacher Samuel Paty.
According to information gathered by Biztellers, the suspects entered the juvenile court behind closed doors with their jackets pulled over their faces.
In the Paris district of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, the 47-year-old history and geography teacher was stabbed, then decapitated, close to his secondary school.
His attacker, 18-year-old Chechen refugee Abdoullakh Anzorov, was shot dead at the scene by police.
The young radicalised Islamist murdered Paty after messages spread on social media that the teacher had shown his class cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed from the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Paty had used the magazine as part of an ethics class to discuss free speech laws in France, where blasphemy is legal and cartoons mocking religious figures have a long history.
His killing took place just weeks after Charlie Hebdo republished the cartoons. When the magazine first used the images in 2015, Islamic gunmen stormed its office, killing 12 people.
Last month another teacher, Dominique Bernard, was killed in Arras in northern France by a young radicalised Islamist.
Like Anzorov, Bernard’s suspected killer Mohammed Moguchkov also hailed from Russia’s mainly Muslim North Caucasus region.
– ‘Role of the minors’ –
Five of the adolescents on trial, who were 14 or 15 at the time of Paty’s murder, will be tried for criminal conspiracy with intent to cause violence.
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They are accused of having been on the lookout for Paty and identifying him to the killer in exchange for money.
A sixth teenager, who was 13 at the time, is accused of false allegations for wrongly saying that Paty had asked Muslim students to identify themselves and leave the classroom before he showed the cartoons.
A trial of eight adults also implicated in the case is scheduled for late 2024.
Paty’s family see the trial of the teenagers as crucial, according to Virginie Le Roy, a lawyer representing his parents and one of his sisters.
“The role of the minors was fundamental in the sequence of events that led to his assassination,” she said.
During questioning, the teenagers swore that at most they thought Paty would be “flagged up on social media”, “humiliated” or maybe “roughed up” but they never imagined “it would go as far as murder”.
They now are high school pupils and risk two-and-a-half years in prison.
“It is complicated,” said Dylan Slama, the lawyer for one of the accused.
“He will be associated with this for the rest of his life.”
The trial is expected to continue through December 8.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over allegations of diverting N1.3 trillion in 13% derivation funds intended for Delta State during his tenure.
Okowa, who served as governor from 2015 to 2023, was detained after he voluntarily appeared at the EFCC’s Port Harcourt Directorate on Monday in response to an official summons.
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According to an EFCC source, Okowa is accused of failing to account for the N1.3 trillion derived from the federation account, as well as an additional N40 billion he allegedly invested in shares of UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
The investigation suggests that Okowa acquired an 8% stake in a major Nigerian bank to support the offshore LNG venture, with funds purportedly misallocated from state resources.
Beyond the LNG shares, investigators are probing whether Okowa redirected state funds to acquire high-value properties in Abuja and Asaba.
Okowa is currently held at an EFCC facility in Port Harcourt as the inquiry continues.
The high-profile arrest comes as Okowa, who was the vice-presidential running mate to Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, faces scrutiny over his financial conduct in office.
Amid repeated absences from court, the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued an arrest warrant for Hathiramani Ranesh, Managing Director of Dana Air, who faces charges of fraud and conspiracy tied to alleged misappropriations totaling N1.3 billion.
The ruling, handed down Monday by Justice Obiora Egwuatu, calls for Ranesh’s immediate arrest following his failure to respond to multiple court summonses.
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Justice Egwuatu cited Section 184 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), empowering the court to issue an arrest warrant against defendants who evade appearance.
“The defendant is legally obligated to appear, and the court is authorized to issue a warrant for arrest if he does not,” Justice Egwuatu said, setting January 13, 2025, as the next court date, adding that no objections will be considered unless Ranesh is present.
Ranesh and two Dana Group subsidiaries—Dana Group PLC and Dana Steel Ltd—face serious allegations from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
Prosecutors claim that between 2014 and 2018, Ranesh and his companies engaged in fraudulent activities, including the unauthorized sale of industrial generators valued at N450 million, which had been pledged as collateral in a debenture agreement.
Additional charges allege the misappropriation of N864 million from bond funds meant for operations at the Dana Steel Rolling Factory in Katsina, and a N60.3 million transfer to an external account without authorization.
The charges, filed by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Moshood Adeyemi, cite violations under the Criminal Code Act.
In court, government lawyer Mojisola Okeya-Esho argued for the arrest warrant, stating that Ranesh had disregarded court orders to appear for arraignment.
Defense counsel B. Ademola-Bello challenged the prosecution, contending that jurisdictional issues must be addressed before proceeding with the case.
Justice Egwuatu dismissed these objections, underscoring that Ranesh’s presence in court is required before other arguments can be entertained.
The matter is now adjourned until January 13, 2025, with the warrant remaining active until the defendant is brought to court.
In a shocking act of violence, armed assailants targeted the Police Rapid Response Squad facility in Owerrinta early Monday morning, resulting in the tragic death of a female detainee.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight along the Umuahia-Aba Federal Expressway.
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State Commissioner of Police Danladi Isa confirmed the incident, revealing that the gunmen arrived in three Hilux vehicles and opened fire on the police facility.
“Our personnel successfully repelled the attack,” Isa stated.
However, the attackers resorted to using dynamite, causing significant damage to the building and exposing the detainees inside.
During the chaos, the gunmen attempted to free detainees, leading to the fatal shooting of the female suspect.
Unconfirmed reports suggest she was in custody related to a child trafficking case.
In the aftermath of the attack, police swiftly initiated a manhunt for the perpetrators, employing advanced technical methods to track their movements.
Commissioner Isa announced the arrest of one suspect, who is currently undergoing interrogation to uncover the identities of additional accomplices.
“We are making significant progress in our investigation,” he affirmed.
Authorities are calling on the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities as the investigation continues.
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