Unicef condemns jailing of Nigeria teen for 'blasphemy'
A team of Islamic Sharia enforcers called Hisbah is on patrol in the northern Nigerian city of Kano in an open pickup
GETTY IMAGES
The UN children's agency Unicef has called on the Nigerian authorities to urgently review an Islamic court's decision to sentence a 13-year-old boy to 10 years in prison for blasphemy.
The boy was convicted in August of making uncomplimentary remarks about God during an argument with a friend in northern Kano state.
Kano is one of 12 Nigerian states practising the Sharia legal system alongside the country's secular laws.
The 13-year-old's sentencing "negates all core underlying principles of child rights and child justice that Nigeria - and by implication, Kano state - has signed on to", said Peter Hawkins, Unicef's representative in the West African state.
On 9 September, the boy's lawyer, Kola Alapinni, said he had filed an appeal against the judgement.
"This is a violation of the African Charter of the Rights And Welfare of a Child. A violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," he added.
He told the BBC that no date had been set for the appeal to be heard in court.
How Nigeria's Sharia courts work
By Mansur Abubakar, BBC News, Kano
Twelve states in Nigeria's Muslim-dominated north operate the Sharia system of justice, but only Muslims can be tried in its courts.
The Sharia system, which also has its own Court of Appeal, handles both civil and criminal matters involving Muslims and its judgments can also be challenged in Nigeria's secular Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
The Sharia judges, known as "alkalis", are learned in both Islamic and secular laws.
If a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim has the option of choosing where they want the case to be tried. The Sharia court can only hear the case if the non-Muslim gives written consent.
Sentences handed down by the courts include floggings, amputations and the death penalty.
NIA arrests nine Al-Qaeda terrorists after raids in Kerala's Ernakulam, West Bengal
They were radicalised on social media by the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the National Capital Region.
Published: 19th September 2020
Four among the nine Al-Qaeda operatives arrested by the NIA from Kerala and West Bengal.
(Photos | EPS)By Express News Service
KOCHI: In a covert operation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested three West Bengal natives, who were associated with a module of Al-Qaeda that planned terror strikes in New Delhi, from different parts of Ernakulam district early Saturday morning.
Mosaraf Hossen, Iyakub Biswas and Murshid Hasan were arrested during an hour-long operation which started at 2am.
In a simultaneous operation in Murshidabad, West Bengal, six other members of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group were arrested. They are Najmus Sakib, Abu Sufiyan, Mainul Mondal, Leu Yean Ahmed, Al Mamun Kamal and Atitur Rehman, all residents of Murshidabad.
In Kerala, the NIA, with the support of the state police, raided three houses — two at Mudikal near Perumbavoor and one at Pathalam near Kalamassery. Mosaraf and Iyakub, who stayed at different rented facilities, were arrested from Mudikal. Murshid was arrested from a rented house near Pathalam. NIA also seized mobile phones, laptops and documents from the trio.
The entire operation had started a month ago after the agency’s New Delhi-based intelligence wing, which is monitoring cyber activities, found that an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Pakistan was in touch with some persons in India.
After monitoring and tracking down their identity and locations, the NIA registered an FIR on September 11 in New Delhi. However, no details were released about the registration of such a case.
NIA sleuths monitored suspects’ daily activities for a week before their arrest
Following a directive from NIA New Delhi, officers at the agency’s Kochi unit visited the places where the suspects stayed and monitored their daily activities over the past one week.
The time and date for the raids were fixed by NIA Delhi after sharing inputs with its units in Guwahati and Kochi. The NIA sought the assistance of the Kerala Police, but no information about its nature was provided.
At 1.30 am, around six NIA officials in two SUVs reached near Pathalam Junction and parked the vehicle a few distance away from the house where Murshid stayed. Police officials from the local police station also reached the place. Around 2.05 am, the NIA started the raid.
While one team was conducting the raid at Pathalam, the other two teams in four SUVs comprising 14 people carried out a simultaneous search at the rented houses in Mudikal. Police officers were also present during the search.
After the raid at two houses was completed by 2.45 am, arrested persons --- Mosaraf and Iyakub --- were brought to the NIA office in Kochi within an hour.
They were questioned there for nearly 10 hours. According to an NIA press release, the preliminary investigation revealed that these individuals were radicalised by Pakistan-based Al-Qaeda terrorists on social media and were motivated to undertake attacks at multiple places including the national capital region.
“For this purpose, the module was actively indulging in fundraising and a few members of the gang were planning to travel to New Delhi to procure arms and ammunition. These arrests have pre-empted possible terrorist attacks in various parts of the country,” the release said. Murshid arrived at Pathalam nearly two months ago after travel restrictions were partially lifted. He worked as a dailywage labourer and also worked at hotels.
He also worked in a hotel there. NIA also questioned the arrested persons’ friends and relatives, who have been working and staying with them at its office in Kochi. After the interrogation, the three were produced before a magistrate and a transit warrant was issued. The arrested were taken to New Delhi on a flight from here in the evening and are likely to be produced at a court before Tuesday.
State a safe haven for terror groups
Kochi: The arrest of members of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group is not the first incident in which members of international terror groups were traced from the state. The state is turning out to be a safe haven for terrorist groups, especially JMB which has roots in West Bengal and Assam, reports Toby Antony.
Kanakamala case: one more arrested
Kochi: The NIA on Saturday held one more person in connection with the case registered against Ansar-ul-Khilafah Kerala, which was busted by security agencies at Kanakamala in Kannur in 2016. The arrested is Mohammad Polakkani, of Kannur.
Ernakulam, Kerala
Security forces kill four terrorists in Awaran, Pakistan action
SEPTEMBER 20, 2020
Daily Times
Security forces shot dead four terrorists during an operation in District Awaran of Balochistan, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued on Saturday.
According to the ISPR, the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in District Awaran and on confirmation of terrorists in central Makran range they took the action. The security forces during their operation completely destroyed the terrorists’ hideout including the logistic base while a large cache of arms, ammunition and communication equipment were seized from there. The security forces in their anti-terror campaign had recently destroyed multiple hideouts and administrative camps of terrorists.
On July 25 last, the security forces in Balochistan had averted a major terrorist attack in the province with timely action. FC Balochistan conducted an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) on suspected terrorist hideout in Buleda area of Turbat district in Balochistan. During the operation, a key terrorist of the proscribed organization BLA was killed.
In May this year, as many as seven soldiers were martyred and many injured in two terrorist attacks in Balochistan. Six soldiers were martyred when their patrol vehicle hit a roadside mob (bomb?) in Machh. The IED attack in Pir Ghaib area of Machh on the Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle returning to base camp after routine patrolling duty left six personnel martyred including a junior commissioned officer (JCO) and a civilian driver.
No comments:
Post a Comment