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Prosecutor seeks transfer of Kabuga to UN custody

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Felicien Kabuga, indicted on charges of genocide related to the 1994 Rwandan massacre of some 800,000 people, appeared before a French court on Wednesday, four days after his arrest following a quarter of a century on the run.

In his first appearance in public in more than 20 years, the octogenarian was brought into the court in a wheelchair, dressed in jeans and a blue jumper and wearing a face mask.

Kabuga is accused of bankrolling and arming the ethnic Hutu militias that waged the 100-day killing spree against Rwanda’s Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Rwanda’s most wanted fugitive, he was arrested on Saturday in a Paris suburb.

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His lawyers said in a statement before the hearing that Kabuga had the right to be presumed innocent and opposed being transferred from France to a United Nations (UN) tribunal that handles crimes against humanity based in Tanzania.

Defence lawyer Laurent Bayon told the court Kabuga wished to be tried in France.

The court will decide whether to hand Kabuga to the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCTs). The international court is based in The Hague, the Netherlands and Arusha, Tanzania.

The IRMCT’s chief prosecutor told Reuters news agency the court had already requested Kabuga be transferred to UN custody.

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Kabuga’s voice was weak, but audible, as he confirmed through an interpreter his identity and parents’ names. He gave his date of birth as March 1, 1933.

Kabuga’s arrest marked the end of a more than 20 years long hunt that spanned Africa and Europe.

A one-time tea and coffee tycoon, he is accused of being a main financier of the genocide, paying for the militias that carried out the massacres, as well as importing huge numbers of machetes, according to the UN tribunal’s indictment.

He also co-owned Radio Television Milles Collines, whose radio station broadcast anti-Tutsi messages that fanned the ethnic hatred.

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The United States had placed a $5m reward on his head.

The French court granted a request by the defence to defer the hearing and set the next date for May 27.

Exiting the courtroom, Kabuga raised his fist as several relatives including one son voiced encouragement. -Aljazeera

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Police arrest three suspects in narcotic drugs operation in Accra

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The Ghana Police Service has arrested three (3) suspects in connection with a case of possession of narcotic drugs and engaging in prohibited drug-related activities within the Accra metropolis.

On April 10, 2026, the Special Operations Assistant to the Inspector General of Police received intelligence that a group of individuals were planning to engage in the sale of suspected narcotic drugs at Dzorwulu in Accra.

A surveillance operation was mounted and on 11th April 2026, a Police team proceeded to the area and arrested two suspects, Bright Ayivor and Ifeanyi Ijeoba.

The suspects were found in possession of twenty-two (22) compressed substances suspected to be cocaine, which were being prepared for sale to a prospective buyer.

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Further interrogation of the suspects led to the identification of a third suspect, Kwabena Botwe as a key figure in the drug trade.

A follow-up operation at Caprice resulted in his arrest after Police mounted surveillance during a planned transaction involving proceeds from the sale of the suspected drugs.

The suspect later led Police to his residence at Greda Estates, where a search resulted in the retrieval of an amount of GHc400,000 and a counting machine.

According to the police, during the operation, he attempted to bribe the arresting officers with an additional GHc420,000, which has been retained as evidence.

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All the suspects are currently in Police custody assisting investigations and will be put before the court.

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IGP promotes Police Officers for exceptional performance in Tema

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The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohuno, yesterday April 14, 2026, promoted seven officers of the Tema Regional Police Command to their next ranks for their role in a recent anti-robbery operation in Tema.

The promotions were awarded to officers who responded to a robbery attack on a Mobile Money vendor at Tema Community 5 leading to the shooting of two robbery suspects and the recovery of a firearm, ammunition, and other exhibits.

The officers promoted are Chief Inspector Enoch Nartey Nuer, Inspector Gershon Dekpey; Inspector Prince Asante; No. 45881 Sergeant Lukman Mohammed; No. 49900 Sergeant Eugene Kuudouru; No. 54157 Corporal Jerome Akator; and No. 59882 Lance Corporal Jonathan Sewurah.

The IGP, together with members of the Police Management Board (POMAB), congratulated the officers on their promotion and commended them for their courage, discipline, and commitment to duty.

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The IGP urged the officers to view their promotion as a call to higher responsibility and encouraged all personnel to continue working with dedication and professionalism in the service of the nation.

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