Two die as diesel tanker explodes in Lagos on Christmas Day
Preliminary findings from security investigations indicate that the unfortunate incident was caused by excessive speed, as the tanker driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle while attempting to overtake another road user. The vehicle subsequently crashed and erupted into a raging inferno, tragically trapping and claiming the lives of the driver and an adult female occupant. The LASTMA operatives prevented members of the public who had converged on the scene with containers from scooping the spilt diesel. This timely intervention effectively averted a potential escalation of the tragedy before the arrival of other emergency and security agencies. He described the incident as deeply painful and entirely avoidable, reaffirming the Authority’s steadfast commitment to road safety and the sanctity of human life.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 04:04 UTC
Seven sustain injuries in Lagos/Ibadan Expressway auto crash
Seven passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries on Christmas Eve when the bus they were travelling in somersaulted due to a tyre burst around the Eledumare area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State. Spokesperson of the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps(TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed this to newsmen in a statement in Abeokuta on Thursday. Akinbiyi said that operatives of the TRACE and Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC) were on the ground to rescue the injured victims. Akinbiyi added that traffic was not affected during the rescue operation and that it flowed freely on the road. This timely intervention effectively averted a potential escalation of the tragedy before the arrival of other emergency and security agencies.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 04:03 UTC
Badaru, other ministers who have resigned or dismissed under Tinubu administration
In the latest development on Tinubu minister resignations, the Honourable Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, on Monday resigned his appointment, citing health reasons. Following his resignation, Tinubu nominated the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, as the new Minister of Defence. However, Badaru was not the first minister to resign or be sacked under the present administration. Tinubu minister resignations and sacking have occurred on multiple occasions since the president assumed office in May 2023. In this article, Tribune Online takes a look at other ministers who have resigned their appointments or sacked under Tinubu.
Source:Nigerian Tribune
December 26, 2025 03:51 UTC
Lagos fire: China-returnee, others still trapped as traders count losses
It was gathered that a detached section of the plaza collapsed, trapping some traders in the process. He had already evacuated almost all his goods when the fire spread and went back to retrieve the remaining items. “That’s how containers come here almost every day with goods for traders,” a resident, Sunkanmi Taofeek, said. It was further gathered that five adjoining buildings were affected—two partially and three severely—including the old Lagos Central Mosque. Fire incidents have become frequent in Lagos Island markets, with goods worth millions of naira destroyed annually.
Source:Punch
December 26, 2025 03:49 UTC
US Strikes ISIS Targets in Nigeria as Trump Signals Tougher Military Stance
According to Reuters, the strike was confirmed on Thursday by both U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. military. Trump said the operation targeted ISIS militants he accused of attacking Christian communities in the region, framing the action as a decisive response to what he has described as an escalating threat to Christianity in Nigeria. Reuters previously reported that the United States had been conducting intelligence-gathering flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, suggesting preparations for possible military action. Still, it has agreed to deepen cooperation with the United States to strengthen its fight against militant groups. Trump announced the strike on Christmas Day while spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 03:37 UTC
Police debunk IPI claims, order probe into journalist’s arrest
The Nigeria Police Force has rejected allegations linking the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to the alleged wrongful arrest of a journalist, describing the claims as unfounded and misleading. In a statement on Thursday, the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hudeyin, said at no time did the IGP authorise, direct or condone the arrest, harassment or intimidation of any journalist. Hudeyin said the IGP acted swiftly after being formally notified of the incident by the President of the International Press Institute, Musikilu Mojeed. He explained that Egbetokun immediately ordered the journalist’s release and directed the Force Monitoring Unit to commence an investigation into the officers’ conduct. According to him, 45 other exhibits were also seized, including vehicles, motorcycles, and illicit drugs suspected of being used to commit crimes.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 02:03 UTC
Police arrest 22 suspects, recover arms, vehicles, drugs nationwide
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 22 suspects and recovered firearms, vehicles, motorcycles and illicit drugs during a series of intelligence-led operations across several states. Hundeyin said the suspects were linked to offences ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping and banditry to cattle rustling, car snatching, economic sabotage, impersonation and drug trafficking. According to him, 45 other exhibits were also seized, including vehicles, motorcycles, and illicit drugs suspected of being used to commit crimes. Investigations revealed he was impersonating a police officer, with a police mobile uniform and identity card recovered from him. “The squad also intercepted a vehicle conveying large quantities of leaves suspected to be cannabis and other controlled substances.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 02:03 UTC
Presidency denies Femi Gbajabiamila’s removal as CoS
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. Credit: State HouseThe Presidency on Thursday dismissed as false claims suggesting that President Bola Tinubu has replaced his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, with his Principal Private Secretary, Hakeem Muri-Okunola. The Principal Private Secretary likewise remains in his role. Gbajabiamila, 62, was appointed Chief of Staff to President Tinubu on June 2, 2023, shortly after the President’s inauguration on May 29. Muri-Okunola, 53, was appointed Principal Private Secretary in September 2023, having previously served as Lagos State Head of Service since December 2018.
Source:Punch
December 26, 2025 02:03 UTC
All schoolchildren accounted for after Nigeria kidnapping – Church
A Catholic diocese in Nigeria’s north-central region Thursday said that all schoolchildren and teachers taken by gunmen from their school in November have been “accounted for” and “reunited” with their families. The clarification comes after some 35 students were initially thought to be unaccounted for after the government ended rescue efforts. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had said in November that 315 students and staff were kidnapped from St Mary’s co-educational boarding school in Papiri, Niger State. However, the Catholic Church said on Thursday that about 35 students who either escaped or had not been abducted in the first place did not show up for a headcount immediately after the kidnapping. Yohanna insisted that the “discrepancies were not in any way intended to mislead the public or cause unnecessary panic”.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 01:41 UTC
Explosion in Sokoto Community Causes Widespread Panic
Residents of Jabo village in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State were thrown into panic on Thursday, Christmas Day night, following a loud explosion suspected to be caused by an explosive device. Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred suddenly, with a suspected explosive, allegedly landing in the community. The explosion caused fear, but thank God it did not land among people,” the source said. Security agencies have since been alerted, and investigations are ongoing to determine the source and nature of the explosion. Authorities are yet to officially confirm whether the object was an explosive device or how it found its way into the community.
Source:Punch
December 26, 2025 01:40 UTC
Army pledges kinetic, non-kinetic efforts to improve securit
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu has assured that the Nigerian Army will continue to pursue both kinetic and non-kinetic operations to improve security across the country. “I reaffirm that under my leadership, the Nigerian Army will continue to pursue both kinetic and non-kinetic lines of operations in collaboration with other security agencies and well-meaning citizens to improve the security situation across the country,” Shaibu said. He added, “The relationship between the people and the Army must be collaborative because the people need the Army, and the Army cannot make the desired impact without the people. He thanked the government and people of Zamfara, especially the residents of Maradun, for always supporting the Nigerian Army. Earlier, Galadima said security extended beyond the battlefield, encompassing the welfare and development of the people the Nigerian Army serves.
Source:Punch
December 26, 2025 01:13 UTC
Elon Musk: Consciousness Uploading with AI & Neuralink Chips
One of his most audacious ideas revolves around the preservation of human consciousness through advanced brain-computer interfaces. To achieve full uploading, Musk has even floated radical ideas, like replacing human skulls to accommodate more electrodes for deeper interfacing. Musk founded xAI to “understand the universe”, but he views AI as both a threat and an ally to human consciousness. AI could process uploaded data, refining it for seamless transfer, or simulate environments for digital minds. In conclusion, Elon Musk’s ideas on uploading consciousness challenge our mortality and humanity’s future.
Source:Punch
December 26, 2025 01:06 UTC
Shettima condemns Maiduguri mosque bombing as Tinubu orders security action
He disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered an immediate intensification of security operations in Borno State following the incident. Although information on the incident remains sketchy, residents told newsmen that many worshippers were either killed or injured after suspected Boko Haram insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in the mosque. The suspected blast has already heightened fear among residents, especially the Christian community preparing for the 2025 Christmas celebration. “This commitment remains steadfast under God and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We will continue to provide our security agencies with all necessary resources and support to decisively defeat terrorism in all its forms,” he affirmed.
Source:The Guardian
December 26, 2025 01:04 UTC
US carries out strikes on Nigeria targeting Islamic State militants, Trump says
Donald Trump has said the US carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria on Thursday, after spending weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. Some analysts say the latter’s cell in the state began as a group of herders banding together to fight incursions from bandits, in the absence of state support. “This has led to precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes in the North West,” the ministry said in a post on X. The Nigerian army has attributed the suicide bombing in Borno, the centre of a jihadist insurgency for almost two decades, to Boko Haram. Trump, who positioned himself as the “candidate of peace” in 2024, campaigned on the promise of extricating the US from decades of “endless wars”.
Source:The Guardian
December 25, 2025 23:54 UTC
Abiodun Promises Peaceful Handover in Ogun State by 2027
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has assured residents that his administration will record a seamless, peaceful, and rancour-free transition at the end of his second term in 2027, pledging to set a historic benchmark in the state’s governance. Governor Abiodun gave the assurance on Thursday during the Christmas church service at St. James’ Anglican Church, Iperu-Remo, in Ikenne Local Government Area. However, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other PDP members backed former Military Governor of Oyo State, the late Gen. Adetunji Olurin, also from Ogun West. It will be the first peaceful transition in the 50-year history of Ogun State. The cleric also commended Governor Abiodun for what he described as purposeful and transformative leadership, praying that the end of his tenure would surpass its beginning.
Source:Punch
December 25, 2025 23:44 UTC