Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has reassigned the money laundering trial and the civil forfeiture suit involving former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to Justice Obiora Egwuatu. The reassignment affects both the criminal case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the civil action seeking the forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to unlawful proceeds. According to court sources, the forfeiture suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/20/2026 will now come up on February 12, while the criminal trial, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, has been fixed for February 16. Malami, alongside his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir,…

Former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, on Tuesday slumped outside his office in Abuja and was rushed to a private hospital for urgent medical attention. A media aide, Emmanuel Nweke, said Maina lost his balance while attempting to access the office, fell on the staircase and hit his head before passing out. In a statement, Nweke attributed the incident to complications arising from an untreated knee injury. “The incident occurred following complications from an untreated knee injury, which caused him to lose balance and fall, resulting in his head hitting the staircase,” he said. He…

The Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, has insisted on the presentation of payment receipts before admitting Certified True Copies, CTCs, of documents in the ongoing ₦80.2 billion money laundering trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello. This was disclosed on Wednesday via the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s, EFCC, X handle. Bello is being prosecuted by the agency on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering involving the alleged sum of ₦80,246,470,088.88. At the resumed hearing before Justice Emeka Nwite, the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told the court that the matter was “slated for the…

Fawaz Adebisi, Aishah Waliyullah, Zainab Abioye, Fareedah Ogundairo, Uthman Ogunfolaji,& Grace Adeleke Ogun State celebrates its Golden Jubilee on Tuesday, marking precisely 50 years since its creation on February 3, 1976, from the former Western State under General Murtala Muhammed’s administration. With the state’s administrative structure evolving from seven initial local government areas (LGAs) in 1976 to the current stable 20 LGAs by 1996, following reforms under military regimes (Babangida in 1991 and Abacha in 1996), its leadership framework underpinned steady sectoral growth across civilian administrations. … Education Sector Under Five Govs PLATFORM TIMES reports that Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, 1979–1983,…

The Ogun State Police Command has invited some kingmakers involved in the ongoing Awujale of Ijebuland succession process over allegations of bribery and financial inducement, in a development that has further heightened tension around the highly sensitive royal transition. PLATFORM TIMES learnt that the invitation was issued through the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, as part of a fact-finding probe into claims that certain individuals attempted to influence the selection process through monetary and material inducements. A police invitation letter dated February 3, 2026, and signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, DCP Gbenga…

The Osun State chapter of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association has formally appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the August 8, 2026 governorship election, citing security and logistical concerns arising from the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival. In a letter dated January 20, 2026 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the association’s president, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, warned that the coincidence of the election with the climax of the globally acclaimed festival could overstretch security agencies and disrupt electoral operations. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the grand finale of the 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival is scheduled for Friday, August…

… 24% Of Minors Drink Alcohol Daily, Nationwide Survey Reveals … Agency Blames Sachets, Small Bottles For Easy Youth Access …54% Of Minors Purchase Drinks Themselves, NAFDAC Reports Daud Olatunji Rivers and Lagos states have emerged as Nigeria’s hotspots for underage alcohol consumption, particularly drinks sold in sachets and small plastic bottles, a nationwide survey by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has revealed. The findings, released on Tuesday, showed that more than half of Nigerian minors and underage youths now buy alcohol for themselves, raising fresh concerns about a growing public health crisis and…

A Nigeria Customs Service officer attached to the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, was killed on Tuesday in a shootout with suspected smugglers in Ogun State, barely 48 hours after another ambush left two officers wounded in the same axis. The Comptroller of FOU Zone A, Gambo Aliyu, confirmed the incident, describing the fallen officer as one of the unit’s “promising personnel” who paid the ultimate price while on national duty. Aliyu said the officer was attacked during an operation against smuggling syndicates, noting that the killing had been formally reported to the Customs high command. “The Command on…

The World Health Organisation and its cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, have revealed that about 40 per cent of cancer cases recorded worldwide could be prevented through effective public health measures and lifestyle changes. The findings, released ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4, showed that an estimated 37 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2022 — about 7.1 million cases — were linked to avoidable risk factors, highlighting what the agencies described as the “enormous and underused power of prevention” in tackling the global cancer burden. Drawing data from 185 countries…

The management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its training arm, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), have rejected a recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan on the party’s leadership crisis, insisting that the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee (NWC) remains the only legitimate leadership of the party. In a statement issued on Monday, the workers said the ruling was inconsistent with settled Supreme Court authorities on the internal affairs of political parties, stressing that the Turaki-led NWC was duly elected at the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November…