On Friday, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal filed by Nnamdi Kanu, the convicted leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Kanu had challenged what he claimed were violations of his fundamental rights by the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF). A three-member panel ruled that the appeal lacked merit and had become academic following Kanu’s conviction and life sentence by the Federal High Court in Abuja on November 20. Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Boloukuromo Ugo noted that Kanu’s claims—including alleged denial of adequate medical care, dignity, and freedom of religion—could no longer be considered, as he was no longer in DSS custody but in a correctional facility. Justice Ugo noted that Kanu’s lawyer, Maxwell Opara, had confirmed at the start of proceedings that his client was being held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre, making the request for transfer from DSS custody to Kuje prison irrelevant. The judge added that Kanu had earlier indicated preference for prison custody, and therefore his prayers had been overtaken by events following his… “Court of Appeal Dismisses Nnamdi Kanu’s Suit Alleging Rights Violations by DSS Director-General and AGF”

Parents of dozens of children kidnapped last week from a Catholic school in Nigeria are desperate for their release, with one father crying out that his son is so young he has not yet learnt to speak. Armed gangs seized more than 300 children from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s central-western Niger state, in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country The same week, 25 schoolgirls were taken from another school, and 38 worshippers were seized from a church in the east of the country. At least 50 taken from the Catholic school, St Mary’s, managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held. “My son is a small boy. He doesn’t even know how to talk,” Michael Ibrahim said as parents of those still in captivity anxiously awaited their children’s safe release. His son, who is four, suffers from asthma, he said. “We don’t know the condition in which the boy is,” said Ibrahim, adding the abduction had so sickened his wife that she had to be taken to hospital. Some of the… “Our son can’t even talk” — Parents plead for the release of kidnapped school children

Authorities in India have arrested no fewer than 50 Nigerians in a major crackdown on drug syndicates across the Asian country. According to India’s news platform, NDTV.com, the Delhi Crime Branch, in coordination with multiple state police forces, dismantled a transnational drug and hawala syndicate operating across India, resulting in the arrest of the 50 Nigerian nationals. The operation involved extensive intelligence gathering over several months and included collaboration with the Telangana Police Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE), as well as police units from Noida, Vizag, and Gwalior. Officials said the scale of the operation was significant, with 120 personnel from Telangana deployed to Delhi in two dedicated railway bogies, remaining in the city for several weeks to assist with surveillance and raids. The network, which spanned Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Goa, and Kerala, supplied synthetic drugs including Methamphetamine and Cocaine. Investigators reported that around 2,000 individuals were supplied drugs through courier and dead-drop methods, with encrypted communication channels and systems designed to mimic food delivery apps to evade detection. Authorities also revealed that the sex trade was used to cover the distribution of narcotics, further… India arrests 50 Nigerians over drug-related crimes

A US-based advocacy group has filed a lawsuit in Washington, claiming that Apple uses minerals connected to conflict and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, even though Apple denies these claims. The group, International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates), has previously sued Tesla, Apple, and other tech companies over where they get cobalt, but US courts dismissed that case last year. In France, prosecutors also dropped a case against Apple’s subsidiaries in December due to insufficient evidence. Meanwhile, a related criminal complaint in Belgium is still being investigated. Apple has denied any wrongdoing, saying it told its suppliers to stop sourcing materials from the DRC and neighboring Rwanda. It did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest complaint. IRAdvocates, a Washington-based nonprofit that tries to use litigation to curtail rights abuses, said in the complaint filed on Tuesday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that Apple’s supply chain still includes cobalt, tin, tantalum and tungsten linked to child and forced labour as well as armed groups in the DRC and Rwanda. DRC: Key Source of… “Apple Faces Legal Fire in US Over Congo Conflict Minerals”

Armenia’s Defence Minister Suren Papikyan on November 28 welcomed Egypt’s newly appointed Ambassador to Armenia, Amal Afifi. Papikyan congratulated her on the new role and wished her a successful tenure. Both officials explored fresh opportunities to boost Armenia–Egypt defense cooperation and exchanged views on key regional and global security challenges.