Kenyan police officer in charge of cell where blogger died arrested after protests
Kenyan authorities on Friday arrested a senior police officer responsible for the cell where a blogger died, leading to widespread protests in the capital, Nairobi, that left dozens injured.
Samson Talam, the officer commanding the central police station in Nairobi was arrested on Friday, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority said that CCTV at the police station had been tampered with and its disks formatted a day after the blogger died inside the cell.
Albert Ojwang, 31, was arrested on June 6 in western Kenya and driven 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Nairobi for what police said was publishing 'false information' about a top police official on social media. He died two days later at the police cell and police said he hit his head against the wall. A pathologist's report refuted the police account, stating that the deceased had 'head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault.'
The arrest comes a day after the detention of another officer from the central police station. James Mukhwana was arrested Thursday in connection with the blogger's death. He appeared in court Friday, where detectives requested for more time for their investigation.
Ojwang's death led to protests on Thursday that turned violent as police clashed with protesters injuring several and leading a trail of property destruction.
President William Ruto on Friday said his government would 'protect citizens from rogue police officers' and he called for investigations into Ojwang's death.
Kenya has a history of police brutality and Ruto had vowed to end brutality and extrajudicial killings.
The blogger's death comes almost a year after several activists and protesters were killed and abducted by Kenyan police during finance bill protests. The rallies led to calls for the removal of Ruto, who has been criticized for what some say is his authoritarian streak.
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The Independent
12 hours ago
- The Independent
Federal judge recuses himself days before sentencing Memphis officers accused in Tyre Nichols' death
The federal judge presiding over the case against five former Memphis officers convicted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols recused himself Friday, just days before he was supposed to hand down sentences for the men. U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris issued a one-sentence order saying he was recusing himself and "returns the matter to the Clerk for reassignment to another United States District Judge for all further proceedings.' He offered no further explanation. Norris' clerk did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined comment Friday. Norris had overseen the case since federal indictments were issued in September 2023. He accepted guilty pleas from two of the officers and presided over the trial for the other three officers in October. Four of the five officers had been scheduled to be sentenced next week and the fifth on June 23. U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman was added to the case late Friday, court records showed. It was not immediately clear how the change in judges would affect the timing of the sentencings. Several motions had been filed under seal in recent days. It was not clear if any of those asked for Norris to step away from the case. It is unusual for a judge to recuse themself from a case between the trial and sentencing. Beating was captured on cameras The officers yanked Nichols from his car, then pepper-sprayed and hit the 29-year-old Black man with a Taser. Nichols fled, and when the five officers, who are also Black, caught up with him, they punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton. Nichols called out for his mother during the beating, which took place just steps from his home. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days later. Footage of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries — video that prompted intense scrutiny of police in Memphis. The beating also sparked nationwide protests and prompted renewed calls for police reform. The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith — were fired from the police force and indicted in state and federal court. Bean, Haley and Smith were found guilty in federal court in October of obstruction of justice through witness tampering related to an attempt to cover up the beating. The officers failed to say that they or their colleagues punched and kicked Nichols and broke Memphis Police Department rules when they did not include complete and accurate statements about what type of force they used. Bean and Smith were acquitted of more serious civil rights charges by the federal jury. Haley was found guilty of violating Nichols' civil rights by causing bodily injury and showing deliberate indifference to medical needs. He was also convicted of conspiracy to witness tamper. Bean and Smith were scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. Haley's sentencing was scheduled for Tuesday, and Martin was scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday. Mills' sentencing was set for June 23. Martin Zummach, Smith's lawyer, referred questions on Norris' recusal to the district court and the U.S. Attorney's Office on Friday. Bean, Haley and Smith were acquitted in May of all state charges, including second-degree murder. The jury for the state trial was chosen in majority-white Hamilton County, which includes Chattanooga, after Judge James Jones Jr. ordered the case be heard from people outside of Shelby County, which includes the majority-Black Memphis. The officers' lawyers had argued that intense publicity made seating a fair jury difficult. Martin and Mills pleaded guilty in federal court last year to violating Nichols' civil rights by causing death and conspiracy to witness tamper. They did not stand trial in federal court with their former colleagues. Martin and Mills also avoided the trial in state court after reaching agreements to plead guilty there. Both Martin and Mills testified in the federal trial, and Mills also took the stand in the state trial. Officers were part of Scorpion Unit The officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that was disbanded weeks after Nichols died. The team targeted illegal drugs and guns, and violent offenders, and sometimes used force against unarmed people. In December, the U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people. The investigation also found that the Memphis Police Department conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests. In May, the Trump administration announced it was retracting the findings of Justice Department civil rights investigations of police departments, including Memphis, that were issued under the Biden administration. The city has hired a former federal judge and created a task force to address police department reforms. The task force has not announced any recommendations. Nichols' family is suing the five officers, the city of Memphis and the police chief for $550 million. A trial has been scheduled in that case next year. Norris is the judge presiding over that case too. Court records in the lawsuit did not show any order of recusal Friday.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
RHOA star Porsha Williams' ex Simon Guobadia breaks silence on ICE 'nightmare' after getting deported
Simon Guobadia, the estranged husband of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta star Porsha Williams, has given a scathing account of his time in immigration custody after he was deported to his native Nigeria over the weekend. confirmed Tuesday that Guobadia was released from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and sent back to his country of citizenship. Now Guobadia has said that he had been spending time abroad, but traveled to America in order to attend a hearing related to his ongoing divorce from Williams. However he claimed that when his flight landed, he was confronted by ' about seven agents with ICE ' who met him 'at the entrance' of his arrival gate. Guobadia said his hands and feet were both in cuffs as he was brought to the detention center where he spent a 'nightmare' three months before his deportation. He claimed he was given the option of either staying with the general population of detainees or in a separate cell because he was a public figure, so he took the second option, spending at least 23 hours a day on his own, with the result that he 'understood why people would kill themselves' in custody, via Us Weekly. Williams has argued that her estranged husband's detention by ICE was 'self-inflicted,' citing 'upon information and belief, his multiple attempts to illegally enter and remain the United States, which resulted in his most recent detention,' in court documents obtained by People this March. Now Guobadia has said he landed in the United States 'a day or two before the premiere of season 16' of The Real Housewives Of Atlanta, which aired March 9. He claimed the ICE agents entered his plane to bring him off, and then peppered him with 'a bunch of questions about my business and where I was traveling from, and then they asked me to turn over my devices.' Guobadia said his two cellphones - one for work in the United States, one for work in Dubai - were confiscated along with his laptop, and he duly 'gave them passcodes so they could do their forensic investigation, [if] you will.' He continued: 'After that, they basically came and told me that I was being detained and that they would be taking me in, and I'll be seeing a judge at some point. So they slapped the cuffs on and I was taken away.' According to his version of events, he had traveled without issue before and his immigration status was well known, so his detention 'felt like a target. It felt like a target because they had no reason [and] it felt like a target on a number of fronts.' Guobadia, who has been deported before and has repeatedly overstayed his visas, pointed to 'the new administration and new administration policies, they've heightened their targets apparently as agents are waiting, looking through flight [logs] for names that may have popped up on their radar and take them into custody.' He then sensationally alleged: 'And the second one was that I expected that I'm in a contentious divorce, and it's not just one individual I'm dealing with. I am dealing with those behind her, the powers behind her that, obviously, would like to see her succeed and ensure that the investment in this person will come to fruition. So I was not totally oblivious to the possibilities of…some interference.' Meanwhile an insider with knowledge of the circumstances insisted: 'There's zero truth to this theory that there's a connection between Porsha and Simon's arrest. It was an internet meme.' From the airport, Guobadia was taken to a facility where he was given the uniform and told he was ineligible for bond but would appear before a judge at some stage. 'That's when my shock realization kicked in that: "Oh my God, what's about to happen?" I was transported to a detention center that I don't recall the name right now, to be housed overnight and went through that experience [of] taking my regular street clothes off and having to put on inmate clothes.' He was then taken to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, spending three months there before he was released and sent home to Nigeria. Guobadia spent his first two days at the Stewart Detention Center asleep, and then was permitted an hourlong visit by his friends and family. 'It was very emotional for me because prior to that, I didn't have a phone call. I didn't have a chance to phone them. I didn't have my phone book. I guess the kindness, or I don't know what it was, but the officer let me use this phone and I was able to get through to my house manager and she in turn got in touch with [my close friend].' Guobadia stated: 'But the way this thing is designed is not like you're arrested and you're immediately given time to call. It could take a while, and sometimes it could take days before you're able to reach your family.' In the detention center, he was informed that 'there are people who recognize that you're a celebrity,' and so he was being taken into 'protective custody.' Guobadia professed to have been 'taken to an area that is called segregation,' in which he was given his own cell - though he was offered the choice of whether he wanted to stay isolated or live with the general population. In 'segregation,' he was forced to spend all his time in his cell except for a single hourlong outdoor excursion a day, which could be revoked in case of foul weather. During that period, he 'understood why people would kill themselves, but I'm too strong to do that. But I understand why people, when you [are] put in a certain mental headspace, you start to understand why people do what they do,' he said. In the end, he elected to be released back into the general population of detainees, whom he described as predominantly Hispanic men 'who looked like they were picked up from work sites or their jobs.' Although the center was mainly 'clean,' Guobadia felt 'the staff was poorly trained, they didn't have a whole lot of staffing. There was overcrowding, there were people detained, individuals who were sleeping in makeshift beds.' Guobadia alleged that the facility contained significantly more inmates than the 'about 200 people' per unit and 'two people' per cell that it was supposedly built to contain. On the subject of the 'terrible' food, he described a 'typical' breakfast as 'cereal and milk,' while lunch was a 'make-believe burger' of fake meat and 'a lot of beans,' and dinner could be spaghetti or tacos with rice and 'Every meal came with beans.' He complained that the food had no 'nutritional value,' saying: 'I never got coffee. I never got tea. There was no purified water, no bottled water…none of that.' 'It's disheartening to see my estranged husband make choices that have led to this outcome. At this moment, my priority is moving forward with my family,' she wrote on Instagram Inmates apparently shared a running joke that whenever they asked when they would be released, the ICE agents were 'never truthful' with them. During his period of detention - a few days of which were spent in a clinic when he contracted the flu - Guobadia says he was given no news on the progress of his case. Two weeks before his deportation, he was informed he was going to be released, though not before being placed in a holding cell with other inmates in which he claims he was left without food for 18 hours. Guobadia says he is now working to reunite with his children and intends to travel to Dubai, having lived there in the past. After his deportation, confirmed that Guobadia was also no longer listed on the system of the US Department of Homeland Security. reached out to representatives of Williams and Guobadia after news broke that he had been sent back to Nigeria. His friend Tai Savat told Us Weekly that Guobadia was sent back on a flight home to Nigeria a couple of days ago and was in 'good spirits' despite the tough experience of four months at the detention center which was the first time he was ever imprisoned. Amid the ongoing immigration protests in Los Angeles, Savet said that Guobadia is not mad at US President Donald Trump and would actually like a sit-down meeting with him. Back in February, Porsha broke her silence after estranged husband, Simon, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The entrepreneur was being held at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, at the time according Us Weekly. His status was listed as 'in ICE custody,' according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security's records. Amid the news in February, the Real Housewives of Atlanta star — who's going through a contentious divorce from Guobadia — took to her Instagram, calling the situation 'disheartening.' 'It's disheartening to see my estranged husband make choices that have led to this outcome. At this moment, my priority is moving forward with my family,' she wrote. Guobadia, who immigrated from Nigeria to the United States in 1982, allegedly overstayed his visa and was declared deportable in 1985. He subsequently returned to the United States in 1986 and once more overstayed his work visa. It came amid President Trump 's order for massive deportations of illegal migrants, which he signed off on earlier this year which the nation has since come to fruition. The order allows for the deportation of undocumented immigrants to their countries of origin. Guobadia, who pleaded guilty to fraud in 1987 and was deported in 1992 after two more arrests, returned to the U.S. a month later. His 2016 naturalization attempt was denied. In 2024, the Atlanta Black Star reported that he had been repeatedly denied residency. In February 2024, he celebrated his life in America, writing on Instagram, 'Happy Tuesday to all who ever overcame and persevered in life. You are winning #42yearsLivinginAmerica.' Porsha filed for divorce just days later, after just 15 months of marriage. The couple said 'I do' in November 2022 after getting engaged in May 2021. Their divorce is still ongoing. Last September, Porsha was granted a major legal victory in her ongoing divorce from Simon. In the latest ruling from the case, the court granted the reality star her request to 'quash' her ex's subpoena and request for a videotaped deposition of her employer, True Entertainment, along with a motion for a protective order according to People. In addition a judge also denied Simon's emergency motions regarding discovery and awarded Porsha's attorney's fees of litigation to be paid by Simon as the filing also pertains to their prenuptial agreement. Simon 'argues that Wife's desire to return to reality television or employment in the future constitutes a non-disclosure of material fact and misrepresentation, that renders the Prenuptial Agreement unenforceable,' according to documents. He also claimed that Porsha had agreed to be a stay-at-home-mom and wife during their marriage and would even forgo her own career which the court found to be invalid. According to People the court did not 'find merit' in his argument 'as the Court finds that Wife has been a reality TV celebrity for years, which was well known to Husband at the time of negotiating the Prenuptial Agreement, and Husband nevertheless married Wife with this knowledge.' In the couple's prenuptial agreement it states that its 'central purpose… is to avoid contested and expensive litigation, including the costly and potentially intrusive discovery process, if an Event of Dissolution occurs.' Now the ruling from the judge reads that the court finds it 'undisputed by both parties that the Prenuptial Agreement at issue in this case was negotiated by the parties with very competent lawyers over a year length of time, and included the exchange of financial disclosures, such that the issues of fraud, mistake, misrepresentation, and duress are clearly addressed in multiple provisions of the Prenuptial Agreement. 'Essentially, the crux of Husband's argument could have been explicitly contained within the four corners of the parties' Prenuptial Agreement, and it was not.' This is considered to be a massive victory for Porsha as she is now at the final step of divorce proceedings and as the couple's prenuptial agreement is upheld by court, she will be awarded her legal expenses by her ex thus walking away a single woman. Back in February Porsha broke her silence over the end of her 15-month marriage to Simon, who she first began dating in 2021. Following news of their split, revealed in court papers obtained by People on Thursday, the star took time to acknowledge the supportive messages and comments she has received from fans. 'Thank you for your prayers & support [broken heart emoji],' she captioned a post, shared with her more than 7.6 million Instagram followers. The couple said 'I do' in November 2022 after getting engaged in May 2021; pictured at the 2023 Pink Awards in Austell, Georgia Within seven hours, she received 109,925 likes and thousands of supportive comments, including one from her Real Housewives of Atlanta costar Kenya Moore, Phaedra Parks and Cynthia Bailey. Simon made his debut on RHOA at the conclusion of Season 13, introduced as the husband of Falynn Pina. However, the pair went their separate ways after the conclusion of filming. On May 10, 2021, Porsha revealed she was engaged to Simon after one month of dating despite him being the ex of her RHOA co-star. 'Yes we are crazy in love,' she captioned a selfie with Guobadia. 'I know it's fast but we are living life each day to its fullest. I choose happiness every morning and every night.' Simon later confirmed the engagement on his own social media, gushing, 'I asked her to marry me because we checked ALL of each other's boxes, and then some.' Porsha is back for The Real Housewives of Atlanta season 16, following her departure from the show after season 13.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Brazil's Lula joins growing chorus of calls to overhaul Haiti security mission
BRASILIA, June 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday became the latest world leader to call for a stronger security force in Haiti, as the underfunded, poorly manned U.N.-backed mission has failed to make headway against the nation's spiraling gang crisis. A record 1.3 million people have been displaced from Haiti in the past six months as armed violence surges, according to U.N. data. Experts say the security mission on the ground there, led by Kenya with support from the U.N., is not enough. Lula, meeting with Caribbean leaders in capital Brasilia, called for the U.N. to finance the mission under its current structure or to convert it into an official peacekeeping mission. "Stabilizing the security situation is essential to take the next step in the political process and hold presidential elections," Lula said. Brazil led a peacekeeping mission to Haiti from 2004 to 2017, though it was marred by a deadly cholera outbreak and allegations of human rights abuses which have left many Haitians wary of an official force. At the moment, the U.N. manages the funds for the Haitian mission, which come from voluntary donations by countries. Many have pledged funds which have yet to arrive. A transition to a formal peacekeeping mission, which would ensure stable funding, would need to be approved by the U.N. Security Council. The U.S. had previously backed the move, though Russia and China, which hold veto powers, were against it. Other world leaders, including France, the Dominican Republic and Colombia, have called for increased support in recent months. France, which colonized Haiti, in April said it was "time to move on" to a peacekeeping mission. Dominican President Luis Abinader, in a letter signed by other former presidents, asked the U.N. earlier this month to consider a hybrid mission to provide logistics and operational support. "Without urgent and effective strengthening of the (mission), there is a real risk that Haiti will be completely dominated by (gangs)... and become a regional hub for drug trafficking, terrorism and other transnational crimes," they wrote. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, following a previous suggestion from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, last week asked the Organization of American States to deploy troops to Haiti.
