Army Raids Kaduna Kidnappers’ Hideout, Neutralizes One
One of the criminals killed in the operation Photo: Nigerian ArmyTroops of the Nigerian Army under the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace have raided a kidnappers’ hideout in Jagindi Kagom village, Jemaa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing one suspected kidnapper during the operation. Troops from Sector 7 launched an offensive clearance operation on the identified hideout, where they engaged the criminals in a gun battle. “Sector 7 troops are currently tracking the remaining criminal elements to ensure they face the full wrath of the law,” the post added. Commending the troops for the successful operation,General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander, Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, Major General EF Oyinlola, praised their professionalism and dedication to duty. The Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace assured the public that sustained pressure will be maintained on criminal elements to ensure the safety and security of law-abiding citizens across Kaduna State and the wider Joint Operations Area.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 22:44 UTC
2026 Tata Punch Facelift: Smallest SUV with ADAS, Launch Date Out
Tata Motors has officially announced that the long-awaited Tata Punch facelift will go on sale in our market on January 13, 2025. Big Design Changes - ADAS ConfirmsThe 2026 Tata Punch comes with notable design changes, including new front and rear design. This confirms that the Tata Punch will be the smallest SUV to offer ADAS system in our market. No Mechanical ChangesThe 2026 Tata Punch facelift won’t receive any mechanical changes. Launch Date and Estimated PriceScheduled to be launched on January 13, 2026, the 2026 Tata Punch facelift will take on the likes of the Hyundai Exter, Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger and others in the category.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 22:20 UTC
‘Russia records biggest territorial gains in Ukraine in 2025’
- NATO's new chief visited Kyiv on October 3, 2024, a major show of support for Ukraine in his maiden trip in the role. - NATO's new chief visited Kyiv on October 3, 2024, a major show of support for Ukraine in his maiden trip in the role. The renewed Russian advances have come as Ukraine steps up diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the nearly four-year conflict. On Thursday, Russia accused Ukraine of striking a hotel and a café in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, killing 28 people, and warned of “consequences”. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a “special military operation” aimed at preventing NATO expansion — a justification Kyiv and its allies have dismissed.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 21:29 UTC
Individuals from Southeast exploiting market fires for ethnic agenda – Sanwo-Olu’s aide
“This misbegotten Obidient rat also doesn’t know that the fire from GNI building had greater negative impacts on Yoruba traders in the market. The mosque sat adjacent to the GNI building,” he said. Unsafe practices by traders in Lagos marketsAjetunmobi then listed the unsafe practices common with shop owners in Lagos markets and other reasons for frequent fire outbreaks in the state. “Anyone who now claims these market fire tragedies were deliberately planned against only Igbo traders or anyone else is simply crying wolf. The Guardian reported that Governor Sanwo-Olu once again visited the scene of the GNI building fire on Lagos Island, confirming eight dead.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 21:29 UTC
Benue police on high alert after two die in Benue cult clash
The Benue State Police Command has intensified efforts to curb cult-related violence across the state after two people were killed in a violent confrontation between rival cult groups in Gboko. The Command said it received a distress call at about 4:15 am on Saturday, 3 January 2026, reporting a deadly clash between rival cult factions in Gboko town. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Udeme Edet, the clash resulted in the deaths of two adult males. “The Benue State Police Command will not tolerate cult activity or criminality in any form,” the CP warned. The Command reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring peace, security, and order across Benue State.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 20:41 UTC
Tata Punch Facelift Teased: All Exterior Highlights
Revised front and rear endsNo mechanical updates expectedThe Tata Punch Facelift is set for a 13 January, 2026 showcase. Expected to receive few feature enhancements, barring cosmetic updates, here’s all exterior highlights seen in the latest teaser. The DRLs look sharper and more aggressive, but this design language doesn’t look overdone. To the rear, Tata has done away with Y-shaped tail lights. Mechanically, the Punch Facelift will mostly remain unchanged, carrying over the same 1.2L, three-cylinder NA petrol motor (87bhp/113Nm) paired with 5MT/5AT systems.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 19:43 UTC
Dangerous precedent, UN chief alarmed by US strikes on Venezuela
His government accused the United States of an “extremely serious military aggression” which follows a months-long campaign of increasing military and economic pressure by Trump. Proof of lifeVenezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez on Saturday called on the United States to issue “proof of life” of leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces, according to President Donald Trump. Trump said Maduro and Flores had been captured by US forces and flown out of Venezuela. Russia also demanded “immediate” clarification about the circumstances of the reported US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during an attack ordered by Trump. Russia, Iran and other countries had also condemned the US strike, with Spain offering to mediate for a peaceful settlement.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 18:54 UTC
US to ‘run’ Venezuela after toppling Maduro in military attack – Trump
Trump’s announcement came hours after a lightning attack in which special forces grabbed Maduro and his wife, while airstrikes pounded multiple sites, stunning the capital city. In another surprise, Trump indicated that US troops could be deployed in Venezuela. Although the operation is being framed as a law-enforcement action, Trump made clear that regime change and Venezuela’s oil riches are the major goals. Maduro, 63, and his wife “gave up” without a struggle, and there was “no loss of US life,” he said. Maduro — in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez — long accused Trump of seeking regime change in order to control Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 18:39 UTC
Mother, son arrested over attempted child ritual in Ondo
Operatives of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested a mother and her son for allegedly attempting to use a 10-year-old boy for money rituals. The suspect, Maria, 53, who is the mother of Adewale, 28, was nabbed in Ile-Oluji, headquarters of the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo Local Government Area of the state, along with her son. Abayomi stated that, “Preliminary investigations revealed that Maria conspired with her son, Adewale, to engage the services of an herbalist to use the victim for a money ritual. “Commending the operatives for their swift response and professional conduct, the Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command, CP Adebowale Lawal, psc(+), mnips, emphasised the critical role of intelligence-led policing in proactive crime prevention. He reassured residents of the Command’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of lives and property across the State.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 18:22 UTC
Dreaming of writing your novel this year? Rip up all the rules!
RulesIt might be helpful to believe in absolutes when you’re first writing fiction. I’ve taught creative writing for 35 years, longer than I’ve been publishing books, but I believe in modes of thinking, not rules. At heart, as both fiction writer and teacher, I’m an aphorist and a metaphorist. Real writers write every day – that’s what the director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop told us at our first-day picnic. If the author and characters know a secret and only the reader is left in the dark, that’s a needless mystery.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 18:17 UTC
Thugs storm Rivers hotel, disrupt live Arise TV interview
Suspected political thugs on Friday night invaded a popular hotel in the Orazi axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, disrupting a live television interview being conducted by Arise TV on the political situation in the state. Sources said the assailants were specifically searching for Dr. Nwibubasa and the Arise TV cameraman. An Arise TV cameraman, identified simply as Promise, said several broadcast equipment were stolen during the incident. “I had just filed a report from an earlier assignment and immediately started the live interview when two men stormed the place and disrupted the programme,” he said. Confirming the incident, Dr. Nwibubasa said he was safe and credited the timely intervention of the police for preventing further escalation.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 17:15 UTC
Nigeria's Medical Tourism Spending Plummets by 96.2%
Nigeria’s spending on medical tourism recorded a significant decline to 96.2% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria covering January to June of both years. The report obtained by our correspondent on Saturday showed that in the first six months of 2024, medical tourism spending stood at $2.38m, driven largely by a sharp outlay in January. A comparison of both periods shows a sharp contraction of $2.29m, representing a 96.2 per cent decrease in medical tourism spending year-on-year between the first halves of 2024 and 2025. The sustained decline suggests a major shift in outbound medical travel patterns, potentially reflecting tighter foreign exchange conditions, increased domestic healthcare utilisation, or policy and economic pressures limiting overseas medical spending. Overall, medical tourism spending declined by $2.29m, falling from $2.38m in the first half of 2024 to just $0.09m in the corresponding period of 2025, highlighting a pronounced slowdown in Nigerians’ overseas healthcare expenditure.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 16:59 UTC
Nnamani denies apologising to Peter Obi
A former Governor of Enugu State, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani, has denied apologising to former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, in any form or shape. This was after reports (not by The Guardian) surfaced that the former Enugu governor apologised to Obi over previous comments. In a statement in Abuja by his media office, Senator Nnamani described the reports as fabricated, untrue, and having no single iota of truth, but are mere misinformation. At no time, in any forum—public or private—did Senator Chimaroke Nnamani make such an apology or utter the words being attributed to him. “Senator Nnamani does not engage in political revisionism, nor does he apologise for exercising his right to free expression within the bounds of democratic discourse.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 16:19 UTC
Gunmen Kill Seven in Plateau Village Attack
Gunmen attacked a village in Plateau State’s Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area, killing seven people and injuring several others on Friday night. Eyewitnesses told PUNCH Online in Jos on Saturday that the incident occurred in Bong village, Doemak District, where the assailants launched a house-to-house attack, targeting women, children and the elderly. Residents described the attackers as heavily armed, while survivors reported that the victims were mostly those who could not escape in time. The attack on Friday is the latest in a series of killings carried out by gunmen in Plateau villages in recent times. Gunmen had, on Christmas Eve, attacked the Bum community in Jos South Local Government Area and killed seven persons as well.
Source:Punch
January 03, 2026 16:02 UTC
Africa Cup of Nations: tie-by-tie analysis of the last-16 matches
Tunisia, led by their 1998 World Cup player Sami Trabelsi, are yet to display the form that enabled them to qualify with relative ease for this summer’s World Cup. Photograph: ReutersSouth Africa v Cameroon, Sun 7pmHugo Broos, the South Africa coach, led Cameroon to their last Afcon triumph, in Gabon in 2017, so the Belgian is acutely aware of what his team will be up against. “We must learn to have concentration,” Broos said after Bafana-Bafana’s unconvincing 3-2 win over Zimbabwe in their final group match. “This is going to be a big game, a fantastic game for our country,” Rohr told the Guardian. It took a near defeat against Gabon, in their final group game, to shake his players out of complacency.
Source:The Guardian
January 03, 2026 15:38 UTC