Nigeria has been ranked fourth among countries with the highest levels of “grave violations” against school children in armed conflict, according to a United Nations report.

The UN Secretary-General’s 2024 report on children and armed conflict, released in 2025, revealed that it verified 41,370 attacks — the highest number of grave violations against children in nearly three decades.

The violations, which include abduction, recruitment, and sexual violence, placed Nigeria behind Israel (and the occupied Palestinian territory), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia.

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According to the report, Israel recorded 8,554 cases of grave violations in 2024, followed by 4,043 in DRC, 2,568 in Somalia, 2,436 in Nigeria, and 2,269 in Haiti.

While non-state armed groups were linked to half of the attacks, the report noted that government forces were the main perpetrators of killings, maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as the denial of humanitarian access.

It further disclosed that attacks on schools surged globally by 44 per cent between 2022 and 2023, while the use of schools for military purposes rose by 20 per cent. Over 10,000 students and teachers were either killed, abducted, arrested, or injured during this period.

“These violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities,” the report said.

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Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that children caught in conflicts are being “robbed of their childhood” as governments and armed groups persist in violating international laws.

The report also revealed that more than 3,000 children were detained for alleged involvement with armed groups, an increase from the previous year. Gamba urged governments to treat these children primarily as victims and explore alternatives to detention.

It recommended the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, calling on countries to strengthen resilient education systems.

The report’s release comes ahead of a high-level event in Geneva to mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

Nigeria, which endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2018, developed a policy on violence-free schools in 2021 and established the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre to oversee funding and coordination of security measures.

However, implementation has faced challenges, with the initiative’s enrollment rate reported at 11,000 by mid-2025.

Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been sent back to prison after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that his extended hospitalisation following his return from self-imposed exile was unjustified, Reuters reported.

The court found that both Thaksin and his doctors had colluded to avoid serving his sentence behind bars.

The 76-year-old billionaire and political powerbroker was returned to prison on Tuesday, marking the latest chapter in a turbulent political career that has dominated Thai politics for over two decades.

His re-incarceration comes amid a wave of political turmoil, just days after the collapse of the latest government led by his daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

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Thaksin had returned to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years abroad and was sentenced to eight years for corruption and abuse of power during his 2001–2006 premiership.

The sentence was later commuted to one year by royal pardon. However, he spent only a few hours in prison before being moved to a hospital, citing heart issues and chest pain.

He remained there for six months until his release on parole.

The Supreme Court found that Thaksin’s hospital stay was unwarranted and that minor surgeries were performed to extend his time outside prison.

“The defendant knew the facts or was aware the situation was not a critical emergency.

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“The defendant only had a chronic condition that could be treated as an outpatient and did not require hospitalisation,” the court said in its ruling.

According to Reuters, television footage showed Thaksin being escorted by corrections officers and arriving at a Bangkok jail shortly after the court’s decision.

The images gripped the nation as yet another chapter closed for the Shinawatra family, which has produced six premiers either removed by coup or court order.

Despite the setback, Thaksin expressed no regret. “I may no longer have freedom, but have freedom of thought to create benefit for the country and people,” he said on social media.

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He also stated that he was proud of his public service, noting his efforts to uplift living standards and shift the political landscape.

Thaksin’s daughter, Paetongtarn, who was removed from office on August 29, was visibly emotional outside the court. “Me and my family are concerned,” she told reporters, adding, “This is quite heavy.”

Anutin Charnvirakul, the incoming prime minister and a former member of Thaksin’s party, expressed sympathy.

“I am saddened, I sympathise with him.

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“For someone who has governed the country, I don’t want him to face something like this,” Anutin said.

Thaksin remains a divisive figure in Thailand. Once a police officer who became a telecom magnate, he won the loyalty of rural and working-class voters with populist policies such as cash handouts, healthcare reforms, and farm subsidies.

However, his rise angered Thailand’s conservative elite, including the military and judiciary, leading to repeated clashes and his eventual ousting in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin is the first former Thai prime minister to be jailed. Whether this signals the end of his political career or yet another chapter remains to be seen.

The newly appointed health minister in Sweden, Elisabet Lann, collapsed during a press conference on Tuesday at the start of the new parliamentary year of 2025-2026.

The minister, a municipal councillor in Gothenburg, was announced as health minister on Tuesday after her predecessor, Acko Ankarberg Johansson, suddenly resigned the day before.

Lann, who is from the Christian Democratic Congress, was accompanied by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and other officials when she suddenly collapsed on the stage, hitting her head on the lectern in the process.

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The party leader Ebba Busch and other officials present quickly stepped in to help the minister, who received proper attention from security personnel before being led out of the room.

Lann returned to the event room shortly after saying, “This was not exactly a normal Tuesday, and this is what can happen when you have a blood sugar drop.”

However, it was not clear to the people present at the event whether Lann required any medical treatment, though she did not appear to be injured. The press conference was abruptly cancelled.

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According to Euractiv, it was reported that Lann told reporters that the country’s healthcare system is of high quality, but the long queues need to be addressed.

“Swedish healthcare is of high quality; the main issue is the long waiting times. We must transition to equitable healthcare. It is clear that we must strengthen government control. It is not worthy of a welfare state that so many people are waiting for healthcare,” She added.

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