Connect with us

News

‘Credible evidence’ linking Saudi crown prince to Khashoggi murder

Published

on

There is “credible evidence” linking Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last October, an independent UN rights expert said Wednesday, calling for an international investigation.

In a fresh report, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard said she had “determined that there is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi Officials’ individual liability, including the Crown Prince’s.”

The report stressed that “no conclusion is made as to guilt. The only conclusion made is that there is credible evidence meriting further investigation, by a proper authority, as to whether the threshold of criminal responsibility has been met.”

Callamard said for instance that she had found evidence that “Khashoggi was himself fully aware of the powers held by the Crown Prince, and fearful of him.”

Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Riyadh initially said it had no knowledge of his fate, but later blamed the murder on rogue agents.

Saudi prosecutors have absolved the crown prince and said around two dozen people implicated in the murder are in custody, with death penalties sought against five men.

Callamard has been conducting what she has described as “an independent human rights inquiry” into Khashoggi’s death.

UN special rapporteurs are also independent and do not speak for the world body.

– Criminal investigation –
In Wednesday’s report, she said she found that the probes conducted so far by Saudi Arabia and Turkey had “failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation into unlawful deaths.”

She urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch an official international criminal investigation into the case, which she said would make it possible to “build-up strong files on each of the alleged perpetrators and identify mechanisms for formal accountability, such as an ad hoc or hybrid tribunal.”

She also called on the FBI in the United States, where Khashoggi was a resident, to open an investigation into the case, if it has not already done so, “and pursue criminal prosecutions within the United States, as appropriate.”

For her investigation, Callamard said that, among other things, she had viewed CCTV footage from inside the consulate of the killing itself.

The report identified by name the 15 people she said were part of the mission to kill Khashoggi and suggested that many of them were not on the list of 11 unnamed suspects facing a closed-door trial over the murder.

Wednesday’s report also found that there was evidence that “Saudi Arabia deliberately used consular immunity to stall Turkey’s investigations until the crime scene could be thoroughly cleaned.”

“In view of my concerns regarding the fairness of the trial of the 11 suspects in Saudi Arabia, I call for the suspension of the trial,” she said in the report.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

DSS Arrests El-Rufai After Release from EFCC Custody

Published

on

By

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, shortly after being released on bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) according to Premium Times.

El-Rufai, who was granted bail at around 8 p.m., was immediately picked up by DSS operatives who reportedly lay in wait at the EFCC headquarters.

His arrest is reportedly linked to allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.

The former governor, a prominent chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had earlier honoured the EFCC’s invitation on Monday over alleged corruption linked to his administration.

He arrived at the EFCC headquarters accompanied by hundreds of his supporters.

This development comes after El-Rufai narrowly escaped arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, last Thursday.

Following the airport incident, he accused NSA Nuhu Ribadu of orchestrating the attempted arrest in a series of interviews.

DailyPost

Continue Reading

News

Ondo APC Ward Congress Ends in Violence, Two Killed, Many Injured

Published

on

By

Fresh violence erupted on Wednesday in Idanre, Ondo State, during the ward congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with at least two persons killed and several others injured.

The incident occurred at Odode-Idanre, headquarters of Idanre Local Government Area, as the ruling party conducted congresses across its 203 wards in the state.

The latest bloodshed was said to be a fallout of Tuesday’s crisis at the APC secretariat in Akure, where hoodlums disrupted a stakeholders’ meeting and assaulted party leaders.

According to a report on THISDAY, one of those attacked in the latest crisis was Raphael Adetimehin, younger brother of the party’s State Caretaker Chairman, Ade Adetimehin who was allegedly assaulted on Tuesday.

It was gathered that Raphael was attacked, his vehicle equally set ablaze by the assailants during the attack at his ward in Idanre, the hometown of the APC chairman, and was rushed to the General Hospital, Idanre, after sustaining machete wounds.

Confirming the incident, Ade Adetimehin said the attackers mistook his brother for him because of their close resemblance.
“They targeted my brother because they thought he was me. They shot him several times but bullets could not penetrate, so, he was cut several times with a cutlass and is now in a coma at the hospital.”

The APC chairman alleged that the attack was politically motivated and carried out by hoodlums sponsored by a former member of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Adefisoye, whom he described as an ally of Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

“These hoodlums were sponsored. This was a deliberate attack, and it was meant for me. I appeal to the President and the leadership of our party to step in before this situation gets completely out of hand,” he said.

Besides, a family source, however, alleged that Raphael may not have survived the attack, saying, “he was shot during the chaos. We have lost him, and two other people were also killed.”

The source further claimed that two other men were fatally shot in the violence, saying, “I can tell you confidently that another man who drives a Venza and one other person were shot dead today in Idanre,” the source said, adding that the identities of the additional victims were still being ascertained.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state confirmed the outbreak of violence, noting that five persons yet to be identified were reportedly attacked, and a vehicle was set ablaze.

“Three victims sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently receiving medical attention while two others were confirmed dead at the hospital. The Commissioner of Police visited the injured victims to assess their condition and assured them of the Command’s support.

“The Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Lawal alongside the State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Oluyemi Ibiloye, personally led a combined team of security operatives to the scene. Their timely intervention ensured the restoration of peace and order in the affected area.

“Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack and to apprehend those responsible for this heinous act,” he said.

Meanwhile, it was also learnt that the ward congress was disrupted by violence in Akure North Local Government Area, particularly in Iju, where clashes were said to have marred the process.

ThisDay

Continue Reading

News

House of Reps Members Stage Walk-out As Brouhaha over Real-time Electronic Transmission of Results Continues

Published

on

By

Members of the House of Representatives walked out of a plenary session on Tuesday amid ongoing public protests over the electronic transmission clause in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026.

The walk-out came as demonstrators continued to pressure lawmakers to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory in the amended electoral law.

Protesters, drawn from civil society groups including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and ActionAid Nigeria, have held demonstrations outside the National Assembly complex, calling on legislators to adopt the stronger House version of the clause.

House members reportedly left the session after intense disagreements on whether to retain or rescind the provision making real-time transmission compulsory.

Lawmakers opposed to scrapping the clause argued it is vital for election transparency, while others favoured aligning with the Senate’s version, which allows discretionary electronic transmission paired with manual collation.

The protests stem from nationwide concern that removing explicit language on real-time electronic transmission could open the door to manipulation or delayed uploads of polling unit results, undermining public trust in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Civil society representatives at the National Assembly gates said they would maintain their demonstrations until lawmakers commit to a version of the bill that guarantees real-time technology in the results system.

They argue that technological infrastructure exists in most parts of Nigeria, and that gaps should be resolved rather than used as a reason to revert to manual processes.

Continue Reading

Trending