Be patient with Super Eagles, Moses pleads with Nigerians
Super Eagles forward, Moses Simon, has pleaded with Nigerians not to give up on the national team after their cagey performance in their opening game of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Nigeria managed to hold on to a 2-1 defeat of Tanzania in Group C’s opening game in Fes. Thereafter, the Nigerians barely managed to contain the Tanzanians, who came out forcefully in search of another leveller. Speaking after the game, Moses, a second-half substitute, said the game was not easy because the Tanzanians also wanted to win. He played 60 minutes, and we have 26 players in this team.” Tunisia leads Group C on goal difference after beating Uganda, and the Super Eagles will have a tough match against the North Africans on December 27
Source:The Guardian
December 25, 2025 04:00 UTC
Borno governor condemns deadly mosque attack, mourns victims
Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has condemned the suicide bomb attack at Gomboru market mosque in Maiduguri metropolis on Wednesday evening, describing it as inhumane and barbaric. PUNCH had reported that a suspected bomb detonated while worshippers were performing the Maghrib prayer at Al-Adum Jumaat Mosque, killing five people and injuring 35 others. The governor said, “I am deeply saddened by the Gamboru mosque suicide attack which occurred on Wednesday evening when worshippers were performing Maghrib prayer, killing 5 people and injuring 35 others. PUNCH online had earlier reported that operatives of the Borno State Police Command have cordoned the area and assured residents of safety. In a brief statement earlier, the spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, called for calm.
Source:Punch
December 25, 2025 02:19 UTC
PDP Condemns Borno Mosque Explosion, Slams FG on Insecurity
The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the explosion that occurred at a mosque in Gamboru Market, Maiduguri, describing the incident as a tragic reminder of the worsening insecurity across the country. The PDP noted that the continued loss of innocent lives, particularly in places of worship, underscores the severity of Nigeria’s security challenges and the urgent need for decisive action. “This is totally unacceptable; the irreducible minimum the government should offer its people is the protection of lives and property. This administration has failed woefully in this respect and should rise to the occasion rather than resort to rhetoric and playing politics with security. According to the PDP, the current state of insecurity in the country has become unbearable and must be addressed with urgency and seriousness
Source:Punch
December 25, 2025 00:33 UTC
UPDATED: Death toll rises to five as bomb explosion hits Borno mosque
At least five persons have been confirmed dead, while 35 others sustained injuries following a bomb explosion at Al-Adum Jumaat Mosque around the Gamboru Market area of Maiduguri, Borno State. PUNCH Online gathered that victims of the blast were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the Borno State Specialist Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment. Confirming the latest casualty figures, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, told PUNCH Online on Wednesday night that security agencies were still monitoring the situation. “As of now, we have confirmed five deaths and 35 people injured among those rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and Borno State Specialist Hospital,” Daso said. “Ongoing sweeping operations by police EOD as suspected explosion incident was recorded at Al-Adum Jumaat Mosque in Gamboru Market today at about 1800hrs during prayers,” the statement read.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 23:24 UTC
Fire Outbreak Hits 22-Storey Building in Lagos
Credit: LASEMAEmergency responders are currently battling a fire outbreak at a plaza known as the Great Nigeria Insurance House, located on Martins Street in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State. According to the LASEMA PS, the fire, whose cause could not yet be ascertained, emanated from the fourth floor of the plaza before escalating to other floors. Oke-Osanyintolu stated, “Upon arrival of the Shark Response Team at the scene, a 22-storey building (Great Nigeria Insurance House) was found to have been engulfed by fire. “The fire is currently affecting up to the fifth floor of a 25-storey building. “The affected building is primarily used for warehouse storage and the sale of clothing materials, with corporate offices and a few shops also located within the premises.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 22:55 UTC
JUST IN: LASEMA orders residents, traders to evacuate as plaza fire spreads
Credit: LASEMAThe Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has urged residents and traders around the scene of the ongoing fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, to evacuate the area immediately. The LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, made this known in a public safety alert issued after an assessment of the incident on Wednesday night. Oke-Osanyintolu had earlier stated that the number of casualties could not yet be ascertained as rescue operations were ongoing. He therefore urged residents and traders within the vicinity to evacuate to prevent casualties. “LASEMA reiterates its commitment to safeguarding lives and property and appeals for public cooperation as emergency operations continue,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 22:13 UTC
Chimamanda Adichie refutes UNN visiting professor appointment
Globally-renowned writer, Chimamanda Adichie, has refuted claims of being appointed a visiting professor at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Adichie refuted the claims in a statement by her communications team on Wednesday, signed by Omawumi Ogbe. The statement reads, “It has come to our attention that several news outlets are reporting that Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been appointed as a ‘Visiting Professor’ at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Adichie has not received any such appointment, nor has she been in communication with the University regarding a professorship. The appointment was said to be a move aimed at repositioning the institution on the global academic stage.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 21:55 UTC
Jake Paul's mum 'wants to PUNCH Eddie Hearn in his smug face' and reveals Anthony Joshua apologised to her for breaking son's jaw
Jake Paul's mum Pam has claimed she wants to punch Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn following her son's defeat last weekend. Pam Stepnick, the mother of YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul, praised Joshua's conduct in the aftermath of the fight. Pam, however, hit out at Joshua's promoter Hearn, who she had accused of looking 'smug' following the contest. It is not the first time Jake Paul's mother has been vocal around one of her son's fights. Paul and Joshua reportedly shared £140m from the fight last weekend.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 21:38 UTC
Algeria declares French colonial rule a crime, demands apology, reparations
Algeria’s parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime, escalating tensions between the two nations and renewing demands for an official apology and reparations, The Guardian reported. The law formally lists what it describes as the “crimes of French colonisation”, including nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic plundering of resources”. It also stated that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by French colonisation is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and people”. Algeria says the conflict killed 1.5 million people, while French historians estimate a total death toll of about 500,000, including 400,000 Algerians. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously described the colonisation of Algeria as a “crime against humanity” but has stopped short of issuing a formal apology.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 20:51 UTC
Russia jails Colombian 19 years for fighting for Ukraine
A Russian-backed court in occupied Ukraine on Wednesday sentenced a Colombian man to 19 years in prison for fighting for Kyiv’s army. Last week, the same court sentenced a British man to 13 years in prison, also for fighting for Ukraine. “We are currently transferring the horses at this stud farm to other stud farms in Ukraine,” director of the state-owned enterprise “Horse Breeding of Ukraine” Vitaliy Brovko told AFP. In the Zaporizhzhia stud farm, the evacuations continued, with over a dozen transports already carried out. “If the situation worsens, we will evacuate the entire stud farm,” Vitaliy Brovko said.
Source:The Guardian
December 24, 2025 20:34 UTC
Ukraine evacuates horses
“We are currently transferring the horses at this stud farm to other stud farms in Ukraine,” director of the state-owned enterprise “Horse Breeding of Ukraine” Vitaliy Brovko told AFP. “There have been cases where horses had miscarriages from stress,” the horse farm worker Oleksandr Konyakhin told AFP. A month prior, seven horses were killed in the Kyiv region during a large-scale Russian attack which hit an equestrian club. In the Zaporizhzhia stud farm, the evacuations continued, with over a dozen transports already carried out. “If the situation worsens, we will evacuate the entire stud farm,” Vitaliy Brovko said.
Source:The Guardian
December 24, 2025 20:34 UTC
Lagos government plans to regulate use of informal spaces
Lagos State Government has said that it will take decisive steps in regulating and administering informal spaces across the state, in line with its physical planning mandate. The state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, disclosed this yesterday, while outlining the ministry’s strategic direction for the coming year. “The Law vests the ministry with the statutory responsibility for physical planning, land-use management, development coordination, and the regulation of spatial activities across the state, mandates that clearly encompass the administration of informal spaces,” he said. According to him, the planned assumption of full administrative control over informal spaces was aimed at strengthening land-use planning, achieving integrated urban development, and curbing unregulated activities in key corridors, gateways, and transitional zones across the state. He further said that effective control of informal spaces would contribute to improved mobility, safety, environmental quality, and the overall livability of Lagos State, while aligning with the state’s vision for a resilient, inclusive, and well-planned megacity.
Source:The Guardian
December 24, 2025 18:02 UTC
Italy pushes Meta to allow other AIs on WhatsApp
Italian regulators ordered Meta on Wednesday to open its WhatsApp chat platform to rival AI chatbots as it and EU authorities pursue a probe that the US tech giant is abusing its dominant market position. Meta has integrated Meta AI across the company’s platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram, that serve billions of users globally. Meta AI is a generative AI chatbot that can interact with users. Locking WhatsApp’s more than three billion users into Meta AI could potentially give the company a commercial advantage over rival AI chatbots. Meta already faces the risk of heavy fines under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates content.
Source:The Guardian
December 24, 2025 17:33 UTC
Nonalcoholic Smoky Citrus Punch
Let’s make nonalcoholic smoky citrus punch. But I wanted to make a nontraditional, nonalcoholic recipe this holiday season that feels like, well, it packs a bit of a punch. In a large glass jar, add 3 tea bags, pour in 3 cups of water, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. In a large punch or serving bowl, add the lemon and orange juice, citrus-sugar tea mixture, and the cold-brewed black tea. Ladle into individual punch glasses, and serve each with a lemon and orange slice.
Source:Punch
December 24, 2025 17:09 UTC
Nigeria gets first AI ultrasound therapy for prostate cancer
Nigeria has recorded a major milestone in cancer treatment with the introduction of artificial- intelligence–driven focal therapy for prostate cancer by The Prostate Clinic (TPC), a technology that can eradicate cancer without surgery, pain or loss of sexual function. TPC was established by Ekwueme, a UK-trained robotic and laparoscopic surgeon pioneering advanced, minimally invasive prostate cancer and enlargement treatments in Nigeria. The HIFU system follows earlier introductions of robotic surgery and minimally invasive treatment for enlarged prostate this year by the hospital. Ekwueme said: “The high-intensity focused ultrasound scan delivers ultrasound energy into the prostate and kills prostate cancer specifically where it has been identified. This is my Christmas present to Nigeria.”And we are not done yet.”Unlike conventional surgery, he explained that the HIFU system does not require cutting or removal of the prostate.
Source:The Guardian
December 24, 2025 16:50 UTC