Connect with us

International News

Child Soldiers: US List Nigeria Among Erring Countries, Threaten Sanctions

Published

on

Spread the love

 

The United States has listed Nigeria among 14 countries identified for recruiting or using child soldiers, warning that the designation could trigger restrictions on certain forms of military assistance.

The listing is contained in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, which covers the period from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026.

According to the report, restrictions under the Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) could affect international military education and training, foreign military financing, excess defence articles, peacekeeping operations and licences for direct commercial sales of military equipment, unless a presidential waiver is granted.

Nigeria was listed alongside Afghanistan, Burma, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen.

The report also retained Nigeria on Tier 2 for human trafficking, a category for countries whose governments do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but are making significant efforts to comply.

However, the US raised concerns about corruption and alleged official complicity in human trafficking crimes.

“The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees allegedly complicit in trafficking crimes or provide details or other actions taken against complicit officials from previous years,” the report stated.

The report also faulted Nigeria’s efforts to protect trafficking victims, stating that 675 victims received assistance in 2025, compared with 2,058 in the previous year.

It said support services, particularly for male victims, remained limited, with only one dedicated non-governmental organisation shelter for adult male victims operating during the reporting period.

The report further stated that shelters operated by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) restricted residents’ freedom of movement, while access to certain protection services depended on victims cooperating with law enforcement proceedings.

Despite these concerns, the report acknowledged increased government efforts in investigating, prosecuting and securing convictions in human trafficking cases compared with the previous reporting period.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

International News

Plane Crashes In US State Of Florida

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Emergency crews on Sunday afternoon responded to the scene of a plane crash in Greenacres, a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States.

 

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement, said the incident occurred in the area of Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North.

All northbound and southbound lanes of Military Trail are currently closed until further notice, with motorists advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes.

Videos online show the aircraft taking a sharp turn before nosediving into the ground near a mobile home park, demolishing one trailer in a huge fireball.

There are reports of “several fatalities,” although the figure is still unconfirmed. It is also not yet clear whether anyone on the ground was killed or injured.

The aircraft, a Learjet 60, had departed Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

Learjet 60, a business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace, is typically configured to accommodate six to seven passengers alongside a two-person crew.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, according to the FAA.

Continue Reading

International News

Ghanaian Boy, 15, Shot Dead On Way To School In New York

Published

on

Spread the love

 

A 15-year-old Ghanaian boy, Javits Frimpong, has been shot dead while on his way to school in the Bronx, New York, with his father suspecting that the killing was connected to bullying at school.

 

Javits was reportedly shot in the stomach at about 9:30 a.m. on Thursday near Crotona Park. He was rushed to a hospital but later died from his injuries.

According to the New York Police Department, three teenage boys are being sought in connection with the killing. Investigators said the suspects fled the scene wearing black tracksuits and blue surgical masks.

Surveillance footage reportedly showed a person matching the description of one of the suspects fleeing the area after the shooting. The victim was said to have run for about a block after being shot before collapsing.

The teenager’s father, Thomas Frimpong, said he believed bullying was behind the incident, claiming that his son had been targeted by two schoolmates who were recently suspended.

Frimpong disclosed that the school principal informed him about the bullying just three days before his son was killed.

He also maintained that his son was not the aggressor in a recent confrontation at school.

“The principal told me Javits is innocent. Javits is innocent. He was defending himself,” the grieving father said.

Frimpong said he brought his son from Ghana to New York about a year ago in the hope of giving him a better life, while the boy’s mother remained in Ghana.

Describing his son, he said: “My son was precious, very clever.”

The father, who works as a taxi driver, said his last conversation with Javits on Thursday morning was a reminder to get to school on time.

The killing has sparked outrage among residents of the Crotona Park neighbourhood, with some calling for increased after-school activities and youth programmes to keep teenagers away from violence.

Police have yet to publicly identify any suspects or announce arrests as investigations into the teenager’s killing continue

Continue Reading

International News

Burkina Faso Reinstates Death Penalty For Terrorism, Fake Goods Import

Published

on

Spread the love

 

Burkina Faso’s parliament has voted unanimously to reinstate the death penalty for crimes including terrorism, espionage and treason, ending the country’s abolition of capital punishment for ordinary crimes in 2018.

 

All 71 members of the West African country’s transitional legislature supported the revised penal code on Tuesday, October 20, following its presentation by Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, according to the Associated Press.

The decision restores capital punishment nearly four decades after the country’s last known execution, which took place in 1988, according to Human Rights Watch.

The military-led government’s Council of Ministers approved a bill to restore the death penalty in December 2025, prompting criticism from international human rights organisations.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch warned that the move could threaten fundamental rights and be used to suppress critics of the authorities.

Burkina Faso’s military government has previously faced allegations of detaining journalists, human rights defenders and other perceived opponents. The authorities also dissolved political parties earlier in 2026 and repealed the laws governing their activities.

The reinstatement comes as the country continues to battle an armed insurgency involving militant groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The violence has killed thousands of people and displaced millions across Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region.

The government has presented the tougher penal code as part of its response to the security crisis. Bayala had indicated in 2024 that the death penalty would be included in a revised criminal code.

According to Reuters, the revised code also provides for capital punishment in cases involving the importation of expired or prohibited products that result in death, although the precise scope and implementation of the new provisions will depend on the final legal text.

Human rights organisations have questioned whether restoring the death penalty will improve security, warning that it could deepen repression and create additional risks for people accused of offences.

Human Rights Watch previously said the proposed change could intensify a climate of fear and send a chilling message to critics of the military authorities.

The country’s security forces have also faced allegations of serious abuses during counterinsurgency operations. Human Rights Watch reported this year that government forces killed more than twice as many civilians as jihadist fighters between 2023 and 2025.

Armed groups, including Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaida-linked organisation, have also been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by rights groups.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country with a population of about 23 million, has been governed by military authorities since a coup in 2022. The junta has repeatedly delayed a return to civilian rule as it seeks to contain the insurgency.

The parliamentary vote marks a significant change in the country’s criminal justice policy. Burkina Faso abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes in 2018 under former President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, although the last known execution had taken place decades earlier.

The decision is likely to renew scrutiny of the country’s human rights record as authorities pursue their security campaign against armed groups.

(APNews)

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 TheColumn NG