Global News Podcast – BBC World Service

Episode: Nigeria to recruit extra police officers after abductions

Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Alex Ritson

Overview of the Episode

This episode of the Global News Podcast focuses on several breaking international news stories, led by Nigeria’s announcement to recruit 30,000 additional police amid a surge of school abductions. The show also provides in-depth coverage of peace negotiations for the Ukraine war, the sentencing of a prolific South Korean cybercriminal, U.S. moves against Venezuela’s “Cartel de los Soles,” the economic disputes over Machu Picchu’s ticket revenue, a deadly attack in Pakistan, the lingering humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the conservation success of Kenya’s black rhinos, and the life of actor Udo Kier.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nigeria: Massive Police Recruitment After School Abductions

Segment: 01:09–06:09

• President Bola Tinubu has ordered the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers in response to recent mass kidnappings of schoolchildren.
• Officers guarding VIPs will be reassigned to frontline security duties.
• Catholic Church in Nigeria reports 265 missing after a mass abduction from a Niger state school.
• Other abductions: 25 pupils kidnapped in Kebbi state, leading to widespread school closures.
• Witness accounts describe the brutality:

  “Gunmen ride their motorbikes while controlling the girls and sarcastically tell them to run, run… the younger ones are picked up to run ahead, and the rest are pressured.” (03:00)

• Maenie Jones (Africa Correspondent):
  • The remote geography makes rescues difficult (“Takes about nine hours to drive to from the state’s capital, Mena, and you have to take a ferry” – 03:37).
  • The area's vastness provides easy cover for criminal gangs.
  • The crisis is also devastating education, particularly for girls, as mass school closures affect millions, entrenching educational disparity.
  • Recent spikes in kidnappings may stem from gangs exploiting government pressure and opportunities for ransom (05:12).

2. Ukraine Peace Talks: Optimism Meets Reality

Segment: 06:09–13:27

• The White House has presented a 28-point plan, including Ukrainian territorial concessions, army size reduction, and dropping war crimes claims against Russia.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks positively, but Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is more cautious.
• Ukrainian drone pilot Dimko Zhulenko reacts skeptically:

  “We think it's hilarious… There is no point of just giving it up for free, as stated in the initial U.S. peace proposal.” (07:03)

• Imogen Foulkes (Geneva Correspondent):
  • Rubio’s optimism may be misplaced, given enormous stumbling blocks: territory, NATO membership, amnesty, and financing Ukraine’s rebuilding (07:38).
  • European and Ukrainian officials remain wary:

    “We were astonished in Geneva yesterday… just beginning, and then this all capitals post from President Trump complaining Ukraine was ungrateful.” (08:55)

• Yulia Osmolovska (former Ukrainian diplomat):
  • Expects end-negotiation proposals to differ from the initial US-Russia draft, aiming for common ground documents (10:17).
  • Sees Russian “maximalist” demands (no NATO, allied troop withdrawal from Eastern Europe) as incompatible with Ukraine’s.
  • Justice for war crimes is a non-negotiable red line for Ukrainian society:

    “For Ukrainian society, justice and punishment for war crimes ranks much, much higher than even corruption… to compromise here would be difficult to sell.” (12:58).

3. US Declares Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles a Terrorist Organization

Segment: 13:27–14:43

• The designation increases US legal powers against alleged narco-trafficking linked to President Maduro.
• Venezuela vehemently denies the cartel exists, calling US moves a push for regime change.
• Military escalation: US warship arrives, leading to flight cancellations and rising tension in the region.
• At least 80 killed in US anti-drug maritime strikes since September (13:55).

4. Machu Picchu: Economic Windfall or Local Discontent?

Segment: 14:43–17:27

• Machu Picchu is a lucrative UNESCO site (1.5 million tourists/year), but locals say revenues don’t benefit them.
• Mayor Elvis La Torre:

  “90% of all ticket sales go to the Ministry of Culture… We want to receive a bigger percentage… so we can improve services for tourists here…” (16:05)

• Carlos Gonzalez (Cusco Chamber of Tourism):
  • Only 7% ($5 million/year) goes to preservation; the rest, mainly payroll (16:57).
  • Efforts for change hampered by Peru’s high political turnover.

5. Pakistan: Suicide Bombings at Paramilitary HQ in Peshawar

Segment: 21:00–23:42

• Early morning suicide attack kills three soldiers, injures civilians and soldiers.
• Two attackers shot dead by security forces.
• No claim of responsibility yet; Pakistan faces a surge in border-area militancy.
• Caroline Davis (Correspondent):
  • Notes increased attacks after a period of relative calm in capitals (“…this is significant as well because this was an incident… in a highly secure area” – 23:05).

6. Gaza: Ceasefire’s Limited Relief as Aid Remains Scarce

Segment: 23:42–27:54

• Ceasefire allows some humanitarian aid, but only two-thirds of needed food enters.
• Community kitchens, run by aid groups like Anera and World Central Kitchen, serve thousands—mainly rice, pasta, lentils; vital protein like meat and chicken barred.
• Displaced Gazans remain in dire need:

  “We eat the food available from the soup kitchen… I swear nothing's changed since the ceasefire. We were only happy because the constant bloodshed had stopped.” (26:47, Aida Salha)

• With winter, conditions worsen. Flooding, cold, and exhaustion dominate the camps (27:16).

7. South Korea: Life Sentence for Infamous Cybersex Criminal

Segment: 27:54–31:00

• Kim Nok 1, operator of a pyramid-style online sextortion gang, gets life after years of exploiting underage girls via the encrypted app Telegram.
• Telegram for the first time shared user data with South Korean police, enabling the arrest.
• Jake Kwon (Seoul Correspondent):
  • Describes the digital “compromat” scheme, with victims manipulated into providing IDs, then blackmailed (28:23).
  • Links to previous high-profile cases (Nth Room) involving severe psychological abuse.
  • Motives: perpetrators are often young, driven by sexual urges and the thrill, rather than purely financial gain (30:39).

8. Tribute: Udo Kier, Actor Extraordinaire (1944–2025)

Segment: 31:00–33:06

• Udo Kier, renowned for his roles in cult and mainstream films, has died at 81.
• Known for intense screen presence and versatility, working with directors Fassbinder, Herzog, and artists like Warhol and Madonna.
• His own perspective on his prolific career:

  “100 films were bad, 50 needed to be seen with a glass of wine, while 50 others were good.”

9. Kenya: Winning the Battle for Black Rhinos

Segment: 33:06–34:35

• Kenya showcases conservation success as black rhino numbers recover after the 2009–2010 poaching crisis.
• New documentary chronicles the relocation of 21 black rhinos for safety and habitat management.
• Tom Martinsen (Director):
  • Highlights Kenya’s blueprint-worthy success and the risks facing rangers and filmmakers in the field (33:06).

  • “Kenya has done a really remarkable job… and as a result, they've had a huge growth in the number of black rhinos… they're winning a war that in almost every other country in the continent, they're losing.” (33:06)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Nigerian kidnappings:

  “The way shepherds control their herds. The gunmen ride their motorbikes while controlling the girls and sarcastically tell them to run, run.” (03:00)

• Ukrainian soldier on peace plan:

  “We think it's hilarious… there is no point of just giving it up for free.” (07:03, Dimko Zhulenko)

• On Gaza relief:

  "We eat the food available from the soup kitchen... nothing's changed since the ceasefire. We were only happy because the constant bloodshed had stopped." (26:47, Aida Salha)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:09] Nigeria school abductions and police recruitment
• [03:37] Challenges in rescue and regional instability
• [06:09] US-Ukraine peace negotiations
• [07:03] Frontline Ukrainian reactions
• [07:38] Geneva correspondent on peace talk hurdles
• [10:17] Former Ukrainian diplomat on negotiation prospects
• [13:27] US designation of Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles
• [14:43] Machu Picchu revenue disputes
• [21:00] Suicide bombings in Peshawar, Pakistan
• [23:42] Humanitarian situation in Gaza since ceasefire
• [27:54] South Korea’s online sex crime sentencing
• [31:00] Udo Kier remembrance
• [33:06] Kenya and the black rhino conservation victory

Conclusion

This edition of the Global News Podcast encapsulates a turbulent day in global affairs with sharp reporting and direct voices, steering listeners through security emergencies, diplomatic trials, economic disputes, humanitarian crises, and conservation victories. For those seeking to understand both the hard headlines and the human stories behind them, this episode stands out for its range and urgency.