Connect with us

Breaking News

ICC Declares Russian President Putin Wanted For War Crimes

Published

on

President Vladimir Putin of Russia

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant on Friday against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of being responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly denied accusations that its forces have committed atrocities during its one-year invasion of its neighbour.

The ICC arrest warrants “have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her Telegram channel.

She added that Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty underpinning the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal.

In its first warrant for Ukraine, the ICC called for Putin’s arrest on suspicion of unlawful deportation of children and unlawful transfer of people from the territory of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this week Reuters reported that the court was expected to issue warrants.

Separately the court issued a warrant for Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, on the same charges.

Russia has not concealed a programme under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia, but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan opened an investigation into possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine a year ago. He highlighted during four trips to Ukraine that he was looking at alleged crimes against children and the targeting of civilian infrastructure.

“Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, born on 25 October 1984, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Office of the  President of the Russian Federation, is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation (under articles 8(2)(a)(vii) and 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute.”

According to the statement,  the ICC decided to keep the warrant documents a secret “in order to protect victims and witnesses and also to safeguard the investigation.”

The ICC said in a statement Putin stands accused of the war crime of unlawful deportation from the occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

“The crimes were allegedly committed in Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022. There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes.”

The Russian-Ukraine war began on February 24, 2022 after the Russian army invaded the neighbouring country.

(Reuters)

 

Nelly Agwu is an educationist, a journalist, a Blogger, graduate of History. Very dynamic and a realist. A mouthpiece of the oppressed. Easy going and a Philanthropist.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Breaking News

Breaking News, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Wife & Medical Doctor Found Guilty Of Organ Harvesting In UK

Published

on

A  court in UK have found Senator Ike Ekweremadu,  his wife and a medical practitioner guilty of an organ-trafficking plot, after they brought a 21-year-old man to the UK from Lagos.

Ekweremadu, aged 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were convicted of conspiring to exploit the man for his kidney, in the first such case under modern slavery laws.

The Old Bailey heard the organ was for the couple’s daughter, Sonia, aged 25, who was  cleared of the same charge.

A street trader from Lagos was the victim. He was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney in an £80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

The prosecution said that the victim was offered £7,000 and was promised other benefits in the UK for the help, and that he only knew what was going on when he met doctors at the hospital.

The defendants were alleged to have tried to convince medics at the Royal Free Hospital that the victim was the cousin of Sonia, who has kidney ailment of which she undergoes weekly dialysis for, when they were not blood related.

Though it is lawful to donate a kidney, but in UK it is a criminal offence if there is a reward of money or other material benefits attached to it.

Source BBC.

Continue Reading

Breaking News

Nigeria Police Force, Chude Is Investigated For CyberStalking

Published

on

The Nigeria Police through the official Twitter handle of the Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyinwa Adejobi, said that the INEC technology guru Chude Franklin Nnamdi, who was transferred to the South-East few months to the 2023 General elections is in their custody. This was contained in a press release written as follows.

“The Nigeria Police hereby confirms that one Mr. Chude Franklin Nnamdi with Twitter handle ‘@chude__’ was arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State on the 18th of March, 2023, and he is being investigated by the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC) Abuja, for cyberstalking, pursuant to a complaint received via a petition, about his activities on social media which contravenes the provision of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015 and other criminal laws.

Furthermore, a prima facie case has been established against him while the case file has been forwarded to the Force Legal Department for further action.

The Nigeria Police Force therefore urges members of the public to familiarize themselves with provisions of the law and be aware of the penalties for violating them most especially cybercrime laws with the new trends in the digital media space.

CSP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA

22nd March, 2023.

Continue Reading

Breaking News

Breaking, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, LP Governorship Candidate Campaign Procession Attacked By Gunmen In Epe

Published

on

The former Commissioner under the immediate past administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos, Hon. Olawale Oluwo, escaped unhurt when he was reportedly shot at during the campaign walk of the Labour Party Governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour in Epe Local Government Area of the State.

Oluwo, the candidate of the Boot Party for the March 18th Governorship election, recently collapsed his structure for the LP.

The strongman to Ambode was with another chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Noheem Balogun who was the opposition party House of Representatives Epe Federal Constituency candidate and other stalwarts at the campaign.

There are strong indications that Ambode who has remained silent since 2019 when he was unceremoniously denied a second term under APC is said to be backing the LP candidate.

There are rumours that he has instructed his supporters to join forces with LP in the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State.

Oluwo speaking on the Saturday’s attack in a post on his Facebook page, said the attack took place at Ita Opo area of Lagos during the campaign procession of LP.

He said despite the attack, the procession was successful.

He said, “This is to thank everyone for achieving a successful outing in Epe today, save for the actions of a few misguided elements, suspected to have been sponsored from the most unexpected quarters, to perpetrate tension and violence.

“Hon Noheem Balogun and I were shot at, point blank, today at Ita-Opo area of Epe while leading a very Campaign procession of the incoming Governor of Lagos State (by the special grace of God), Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

“Gbadebo was present, being the overall team lead for the procession. Thank God the bullets missed the targets but my special gratitude goes to my Security Orderly who promptly returned fire to repel the two assailants. A report is being lodged with the Police on the incident. Overall, we were well received by the good people of Epe in their large numbers. Hon Noheem Balogun is the PDP House of Reps Candidate for Epe Federal Constituency who has collapsed his large political structure in Epe into the Labour Party (LP).

“He has the support of the leaders, assembly candidates, relevant stakeholders and our teeming supporters to lead the political onslaught of LP in Epe in the capacity of a Generalissimo. This is already giving some people sleepless nights, hence the attack. I thank him for his commitment and leadership. Epe is my community and no person(s), no matter how powerful, can prevent us from exercising our rights to political participation,” he wrote.

Rhodes-Vivour also confirmed the attack on his verified Twitter handle this morning.

“Yesterday’s rally was great, we connected & saw supporters in Epe. We were attacked but we are all safe & secure. It’s a shame that some deem it fit to use violence to try & intimidate those who want a better Lagos & such actions have no place in Lagos. WE ARE not intimidated,” he said.

According to a source who is an indigene of Epe who also spoke with our correspondent in confidence said it was true that a shooting took place during the rally in Epe, adding that normalcy has returned to the community.

Benjamin Hundeyin, Police Public Relations Officer in Lagos, had not responded to Daily Trust’s inquiries as of the time of filing this report.

Going by the numerous attacks across Lagos during the February 25 Presidential Poll, there have been concerns that there could be outbreak of violence in the governorship election.

 

Source Daily Trust, excluding headline.

 

Continue Reading

Join Our Newsletters

Trending