NaijaWorld Pulse — NEWS BULLETIN (Updated)
Coverage window: 24–26 December 2025 — Edo State, Nigeria & Around the World (updated)
Key additions in this update: U.S.-conducted airstrikes against ISIS/IS-affiliated militants in northwest Nigeria (announced by President Trump), an explosion at a mosque in Maiduguri (Borno State) and expanded sport coverage (AFCON action and Boxing Day notes), plus further world developments (Russia-Ukraine heavy drone/missile strikes; Gaza ceasefire tensions).
Topline — What’s new (added items)
- U.S. strikes in northwest Nigeria: President Donald Trump announced U.S. military strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in northwest Nigeria; U.S. authorities say the strikes targeted IS positions following recent attacks on civilians. 0
- Maiduguri mosque blast: A bomb exploded during evening prayers in a mosque in Maiduguri (Borno State), killing and injuring worshippers; police say a suspected suicide vest was found. 1
- Sports: AFCON 2025 is underway — Nigeria beat Tanzania (2–1) and now prepares to face Tunisia; Boxing Day in the English Premier League featured an unusually light schedule (only one PL match on Dec 26). 2
- Global: Heavy drone and missile exchanges continued over Ukraine during the Christmas period; Gaza ceasefire tensions and sporadic strikes continued over Dec 24–26. 3
United States launches strikes in northwest Nigeria — what we know
Headline: President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces carried out air strikes against Islamic State-affiliated militants in northwest Nigeria on Dec 25–26, 2025. U.S. officials said the action was taken in response to extremist attacks on civilians, particularly incidents targeting Christian communities, and was conducted with a degree of coordination or notification to Nigerian authorities. Official casualty figures and operational details remain limited in early reports. 4
Important context: The strikes mark a major bilateral security action in Nigeria’s northern theatre — U.S. officials described the operation as targeting IS-affiliated camps and fighters in northwestern states where militant activity has increased. Nigerian authorities issued brief acknowledgements of cooperation in counter-terrorism operations while stressing the need to protect national sovereignty and the safety of civilians. Reporting is ongoing and further details from official U.S. and Nigerian statements are expected. 5
Caveat: developing military actions often produce initial discrepancies in the number of targets, locations and casualties. We rely on major wire reporting and official statements for confirmation and will flag any official Nigerian government or AFRICOM releases as they arrive. 6
Maiduguri mosque blast — evening prayers attack (Borno State)
On the night of 24–25 December 2025 a bomb exploded during evening prayers at a mosque in Maiduguri (capital of Borno State). Police statements published in wire reports said the blast killed several worshippers and injured dozens; investigators found fragments consistent with a suspected suicide vest and described the incident as likely a suicide attack. No group had formally claimed responsibility at the time of earliest reporting. 7
Emergency services and police increased security at places of worship in the region following the blast. Local humanitarian groups and hospital sources described efforts to treat the wounded and support families. We avoid graphic detail in this reporting and will update casualty totals only when an authoritative official count is released. 8
Edo State — (previous items retained)
The earlier Edo-focused coverage (Governor Okpebholo’s 2026 budget, Yuletide security deployments in Benin City, power-supply complaints and Oba of Benin rites) remains in the bulletin. Those sections are unchanged except for an editorial note that national security developments (including the U.S. strikes and northerly attacks) are being monitored closely by federal and state security agencies because of possible displacement and cross-regional security implications. 9
Sports — AFCON, Boxing Day and other current sport headlines
AFCON 2025 — Super Eagles progress & Tunisia test
Nigeria opened its AFCON 2025 campaign with a 2–1 win over Tanzania and now prepares to meet Tunisia in Group C in a high-interest fixture. Player availability, the impact of club-versus-country scheduling, and travel-workload remain major talking points for fans and pundits. Reuters and beIN Sports provided match summaries and reaction from players and staff. 10
Boxing Day football — unusual schedule in the Premier League
This Boxing Day (26 Dec 2025) marked one of the quietest Premier League fixtures lists in recent memory — only Manchester United v Newcastle was scheduled in the top flight on Dec 26. Broadcasters and sports pages noted the unusual calendar squeeze driving the reduced schedule; other domestic competitions and AFCON (taking place in Morocco) provided major sporting action over the holiday period. 11
Other sports news and domestic Nigerian fixtures are included in the multimedia section below for quick embedding. For a focused sports-only bulletin with match reports and player ratings, we can produce a separate post. 12
World roundup — additional context & headlines (Dec 24–26, 2025)
Russia-Ukraine — heavy drone and missile exchanges on Christmas
Over the Christmas period both Russia and Ukraine reported extensive aerial operations: large drone and missile barrages impacted civilian infrastructure, causing deaths, injuries and power outages in multiple regions. International outlets warned about winter electricity losses and difficulties in restoring services. These strikes formed part of a continuing escalation around the holiday and affected humanitarian planning. 13
Gaza / Israel — ceasefire tensions and sporadic clashes
Although a phased ceasefire remained the basis of diplomacy in late 2025, sporadic clashes and limited strikes continued to be reported in Gaza and along the wider front. Humanitarian agencies stressed the fragility of the truce ahead of planned next-phase talks. 14
Extreme weather & other global notes
Holiday travel and logistics were disrupted in several regions due to heavy rain and flooding in parts of the U.S. West, as well as localized transport disruption in Europe from winter storms. Year-end analyses from global outlets summarised 2025’s big stories (geopolitics, climate extremes, energy shocks). 15
Multimedia — quick embeds (new)
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U.S. strikes in northwest Nigeria — summary clip
Sources: Washington Post, WUFT, Sky News. 16
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Maiduguri mosque blast — on-scene / bulletin
Sources: Associated Press, Euronews. 17
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AFCON 2025 — Super Eagles preview / camp
Sources: beIN Sports, Reuters. 18
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Ukraine — Christmas Day strikes coverage
Sources: AP, Reuters. 19
How to embed: paste these iframe blocks into the HTML view of your Blogger post. If you prefer lightweight links only (for faster page load), replace iframes with the YouTube share links instead.
Sources (selected, updated)
- Washington Post — U.S. strikes in Nigeria (Trump announcement). 20
- WUFT / Sky News — U.S. statement & initial operational notes. 21
- Associated Press / KSAT / Euronews — Maiduguri mosque blast reporting. 22
- Reuters / beIN Sports — AFCON match reports and previews (Nigeria vs Tanzania; upcoming Tunisia clash). 23
- ESPN / Premier League outlets — Boxing Day schedule context (one PL match). 24
- AP / Reuters / Guardian — Russia-Ukraine heavy drone/missile strikes over Christmas. 25
Editorial note: This update adds major national security and sports stories reported Dec 24–26, 2025. Where statements or casualty figures remain provisional we flagged them and cited wire services; we will update the NaijaWorld Pulse post as official briefings or more reliable tallies arrive.
Closing & contact
If you want this full updated HTML pasted as a single Blogger-ready post (with SEO meta tags, excerpt, labels and featured-image placeholder), I can produce that now — or I can produce a shorter social-media-friendly summary (250–350 words) with suggested Twitter/X and Facebook captions. Which would you like me to deliver next?
— NaijaWorld Pulse editorial team