A Saudi court sentenced a retired teacher to 30 years in jail for criticising the government on social media, less than two months after his death sentence was overturned, his brother said Tuesday.

The death sentence against Mohammed al-Ghamdi highlighted what critics describe as heightened repression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Gulf kingdom’s de facto ruler.

Prince Mohammed addressed the case in an interview with Fox News that aired in September 2023, saying the government was “ashamed” over it and expressing hope the outcome could be changed.

Ghamdi’s death sentence was overturned on appeal in August.

But the appeals court sentenced him to 30 years imprisonment on the same charges, his brother Saeed al-Ghamdi, an Islamic scholar who lives in Britain, told AFP.

Mohammed al-Ghamdi had been sentenced to death in July 2023 by the Specialised Criminal Court, which was set up in 2008 to deal with terrorism-related cases.

The former teacher, who is in his 50s, was arrested in June 2022.

The case against him was at least partly built on posts criticising the government and expressing support for “prisoners of conscience” like the jailed religious clerics Salman al-Awda and Awad al-Qarni, his brother has previously said.

His account on social media platform X had only nine followers, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights said when his legal troubles came to light last year.

The charges he faced included conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions and supporting terrorist ideology, sources briefed on the details said at the time.

“This about-face in judgements testifies to the dramatic state of the kingdom’s politicised judicial system,” Saeed al-Ghamdi said on X.

“My brother is not guilty to be arrested and tried in this way,” he added.

The Saudi authorities could not immediately be reached for comment.

Human Rights Watch and Saeed al-Ghamdi reported last month that another brother, 47-year-old Asaad al-Ghamdi, had been sentenced to 20 years over critical social media posts.

There was no word on Tuesday on whether judges would also review Asaad al-Ghamdi’s sentence.

Under Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia has been pursuing an ambitious reform agenda known as Vision 2030 intended to transform the formerly closed-off kingdom into a global tourism and business destination.

However, Saudi authorities continue to take heat for the country’s rights record and restrictions on free speech in particular.

A 15-year-old Mississippi girl has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison — without parole — for killing her mother and the attempted murder of her stepfather.

Carly Madison Gregg was convicted after jurors were shown chilling surveillance video of the teen

Gregg sobbed in court as she learned her fate.

“Carly Gregg is evil and that’s not easy to say, but the truth of the matter is that sometimes evil comes in young packages,” said Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett.

The jury saw five days of disturbing evidence, including surveillance video. In the video, you can first see Gregg with a gun behind her back as she paces around the home. Then, you hear gunshots.

Gregg then returns to the kitchen, and is seen texting and playing with her dogs.

Prosecutors say she shot her mother, Ashley Smylie, in the face.

Smylie was a 40-year-old high school math teacher.

Then when her stepfather, Heath Smylie, came home, Gregg struck him with a bullet.

His frantic call to 911 was also played for jurors.

“Gun went off in my face before the door was open,” Heath Smylie said on the stand.

The stepfather then wrestled the gun away, making that frantic call to 911.

“She killed her mom,” he could be heard saying to dispatchers.

Prosecutors say the violence unfolded just hours after a friend told Gregg’s mom about the teen’s marijuana use.

Gregg’s attorneys argued she was having a mental health crisis.

“She doesn’t know what was going on at that time. We’re asking you to find her not guilty by reason of insanity,” Gregg’s defense attorney Kevin Camp pleaded with jurors before their decision.

“I put three in my mom and I got three — I got three more waiting for my stepdad,” state prosecutor Kathryn Newman reenacted. “You think that sound like an insane person? No.”

It took just two hours of deliberations for the jury to find Gregg guilty on all charges. The defense says they plan to appeal.

Troops in partnership with local vigilantes have killed a bandit leader, Sani Black in Zamfara State.

Security expert, Zagazola Makama announced the elimination of Black in a report on his official website on Tuesday morning.

“A major breakthrough in the fight against banditry in northern Nigeria was recorded with the elimination of notorious bandit leader Kachalla Sani Black,” Makama said.

“Black, a feared warlord responsible for countless terror attacks, was ambushed and killed by local vigilantes supported by military in the Magama Mai Rake area of Maru Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

“It was gathered that Black and two of his sons were killed during the operation. The vigilantes recovered two AK-47 rifles, a PKT machine gun and an undisclosed amount of cash from the scene.”

According to Makama, Black had long been a menace to communities across northern Zamfara, known for leading deadly attacks, abductions and sexual violence.

With over 150 armed followers, his reign of terror extended beyond Zamfara to neighboring Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi States.

His criminal activities included orchestrating ambushes, kidnapping for ransom and raiding villages across the region.

“On the morning of Tuesday, September 24, 2024, following information about the clash between vigilantes and terrorists in the Tashar Sahabi area, troops from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Hanutara were deployed to the scene to prevent potential reprisal attacks by the terrorists,” Makama explained.

“Upon arrival, they identified the body of Sani Black but soon came under heavy fire from terrorists in the vicinity.

“As the firefight intensified, a Combat Support Vehicle (CSK) bogged down in the village, leaving the soldiers vulnerable.

“Despite reinforcements being mobilized from Team 3 HQ in Magami and FOB Dansadau, the troops were temporarily withdrawn. The CSK was destroyed, and two soldiers were wounded in action (WIA).”

Makama said Black’s death is a significant victory for security forces and local vigilantes in their ongoing battle against banditry in Zamfara State.

He said Black had been a major competitor to another infamous bandit leader, Kachallah Gwaska Dankarami and his influence in the region was unmatched.

His ability to wreak havoc across multiple states had earned him a reputation as one of the most dangerous criminals in the North West.

In the aftermath of Black’s death, intelligence reports indicate that bandit leaders, including Gwaska Dankarami and fighters from the late Kawaje group, are mobilizing around Kuran Mota to launch reprisal attacks.

Security forces are on high alert, prepared to counter any retaliatory measures as they work to stabilize the region.

A South Korean man has been arrested after confessing to murdering his girlfriend 16 years ago and entombing her body on his balcony under a layer of cement, police told AFP on Tuesday.

The man, who is now in his 50s, was charged with murdering the woman in October 2008 during an argument, according to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police and Geoje Police Station.

He fatally struck the woman with a blunt object then placed her body in a large travel bag, police said.

He then hid the body on his balcony by stacking bricks and pouring on a 10-centimetre (four-inch) layer of cement.

The woman wasn’t reported missing until three years later, as she was not in contact with her own family.

During a 2011 missing person inquiry, the man told police they had “broken up” and the case remained unsolved due to a lack of evidence.

A police official told reporters that the body was not discovered earlier as it had been fitted into the small balcony space, and that the room was “virtually empty since 2016”.

That year, the perpetrator was arrested for drug use, and the landlord said the property was used for storage space.

The body was found last month after a worker who was searching for water leaks found the travel bag.

Upon inspection, police found the woman’s body “preserved to some extent”.

“The body hadn’t completely decomposed to bones, allowing us to identify her using fingerprints,” police said.

The man was brought in for questioning and eventually confessed to the murder.

A police official from Gyeongnam Provincial Police told AFP the investigation and questioning is nearly over and the man will be “sent to prosecution soon”.

The man, who is now in his 50s, was charged with murdering the woman in October 2008 during an argument, according to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police and Geoje Police Station.

He fatally struck the woman with a blunt object then placed her body in a large travel bag, police said.

He then hid the body on his balcony by stacking bricks and pouring on a 10-centimetre (four-inch) layer of cement.

The woman wasn’t reported missing until three years later, as she was not in contact with her own family.

During a 2011 missing person inquiry, the man told police they had “broken up” and the case remained unsolved due to a lack of evidence.

A police official told reporters that the body was not discovered earlier as it had been fitted into the small balcony space, and that the room was “virtually empty since 2016”.

That year, the perpetrator was arrested for drug use, and the landlord said the property was used for storage space.

The body was found last month after a worker who was searching for water leaks found the travel bag.

Upon inspection, police found the woman’s body “preserved to some extent”.

“The body hadn’t completely decomposed to bones, allowing us to identify her using fingerprints,” police said.

The man was brought in for questioning and eventually confessed to the murder.

A police official from Gyeongnam Provincial Police told AFP the investigation and questioning is nearly over and the man will be “sent to prosecution soon”.

A legal practitioner, Mr Junaid Sanusi who is a customer of Access Bank Plc, has sued the bank for N100 million for allegedly deducting his money unlawfully.

While arguing his originating summons before the Federal High Court at Ibadan on Monday, Sanusi informed the court that he operated a savings account with Access Bank Plc.

He said that while going through his account he discovered that the bank was deducting more than N50 as an electronic levy stipulated by the Finance Act, 2019.

“What is provided in the Finance Act is that banks should deduct N50 one-off for transactions above N10,000.

“I noticed that the bank deducts N100, N250 and so on from my account as FGN electronic levy,” the bank customer said.

Sanusi told the court that any deduction on customers’ accounts must be subjected to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) guidelines 2020, and other Financial Institutions Acts.

He pointed out that these guidelines remained the only law allowing banks to make deductions from customers’ accounts.

“The court needs to determine whether or not it is lawful for the defendant to make unauthorised deductions from my account in favour of FGN or another third party than the one allowed under the CBN guidelines and Finance Act for bank charges,” Sanusi said.

He went on to inform the court that he relied on his filed affidavit, nine exhibits and a written address in support of his originating summons.

Sanusi then urged the court to grant all his prayers.

He asked it to restrain Access Bank from making further deductions on his account and reverse the monies deducted unlawfully from his account from March 27, 2020.

”This should be until judgment is delivered in the suit.

“Court should also order the bank to pay N100 million to me as exemplary damages for wrongful deductions it made in favour of FGN without my authorisation,” Sanusi said.

In his reply, the counsel to Access Bank, Mr Ahmed Adeleke, informed the court that he had filed a counter-affidavit, attached exhibits and a written address to argument his case.

He told the court that the bank reviewed the plaintiff’s three months’ statement of account between March 1, 2020 and May 29, 2020 to justify the deductions made.

Adeleke said the bank never charged more than the amount stipulated by the law going by the plaintiff’s transactions within the months under review.

He then urged the court to discountenance the plaintiff’s case with substantial cost.

Justice Uche Agomog adjourned the case until Nov. 12 for judgment.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has given three factors that caused the recent flood incident in Sokoto state.

The Director General (DG) of NEMA, Zubaida Umar highlighted the reasons for the flood incident in a post on her X account on Monday night.

“We are currently responding to the flood disaster that has affected some communities in the Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto state. The communities include Nassarawa, Amarawa, Munlela, and Dankuda,” Umar wrote.

“Upon the on-the-spot assessment conducted by a joint assessment team including officials of NEMA, SEMA and community leaders, it was established that heavy rainfall, absence of culverts and bad drainage system were responsible for the disaster.”

She lamented that unfortunately, many families have been displaced, houses submerged and hectares of farmlands destroyed.

Umar added that the flood has damaged some connecting roads, thereby affecting farming and economic activities in the areas.

“We will continue to monitor and collaborate to support the affected communities,” the NEMA DG concluded by pledging the agency’s help.