Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Lagos continues to dominate Nigeria’s cinema landscape, contributing more than half of the country’s N14.52 billion box office revenue in 2025, a significant jump from N10.74 billion in 2024, according to data from FilmOne Entertainment. The commercial hub recorded N7.94 billion in earnings across 41 cinema locations, attracting over 1.28 million ticket sales. While Lagos accounted for more than 50% of total revenue, it represented just 45% of total admissions highlighting the city’s higher ticket prices fueled by premium options like IMAX and its wealthier audience. Outside Lagos, the “billion-naira club” expanded for the first time. The Federal Capital Territory…

…43,000 Nigerians Bitten Annually, Nearly 2,000 Fatalities Reported …Each Dose Costs Up To N250,000, Straining Public Health Budgets …Govt Urged To Equip Grassroots Health Centres Urgently Daud Olatunji Nigeria is facing a deadly health crisis as rural communities continue to lose lives to snakebites, with 43,000 reported cases and nearly 2,000 deaths every year. The country’s 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) remain largely unequipped to treat snakebite victims, with anti-venom costing between N180,000 and N250,000 per dose. Severe cases can require up to five doses, putting enormous pressure on public health budgets. … A life lost too soon The tragic…

The Ogun State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has raised the alarm over what it described as a controversial high-profile development within the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate along the Abeokuta–Kobape-Siun-Sagamu -Interchange Expressway in Ogun State, warning that the rights and investments of subscribers to the residential scheme may be under threat. In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its State Chairman, Comrade Onifade Funmilayo, and State Secretary, Comrade Ali Adesina, the group called for an immediate probe into the ownership, approval status and land-use classification of the project. The organisation described the structure…

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested nine Muslims for allegedly eating in public on the first day of Ramadan, intensifying enforcement of fasting rules in the predominantly Muslim state. The board’s Deputy Commander, Mujahid Aminudeen, confirmed the arrests on Thursday, stating that the suspects — seven men and two women were apprehended on Wednesday after they were sighted eating in broad daylight. According to him, the action contravenes the Islamic obligation of fasting observed by Muslims between sunrise and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. “We arrested them and they are with us. We will teach them the…

The traditional ruler of Agamo Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Kehinde Jacob Faledon, has been shot dead by suspected gunmen who reportedly stormed his palace on Wednesday night. Faledon was said to have been attacked at his residence in the community near Itaogbolu, where the assailants allegedly attempted to abduct him before shooting him at close range. Police authorities in the state confirmed the incident on Thursday, describing it as a “heinous crime” and assuring residents that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Jimoh Abayomi,…

A 64-year-old American woman has accused officials at the United States Embassy in Nigeria of mocking her relationship with her 27-year-old Nigerian fiancé before denying his K-1 visa application. The woman, who identified herself simply as Deborah, said the embassy issued her fiancé a 221(g) refusal form following his interview, indicating that additional administrative processing was required and that he did not meet the qualifications for the visa category at that stage. Deborah spoke during a live call-in session hosted by U.S.-based immigration lawyer Jim Hacking, where she expressed frustration over what she described as humiliating treatment during the visa…

A United States District Court in Boston has sentenced a 37-year-old Nigerian, Matthew Akande, to eight years’ imprisonment for orchestrating a $1.3 million tax fraud scheme, while American authorities have also extradited another Nigerian, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, to face charges over a sexual extortion case linked to the suicide of a teenage boy. In the first case, Justice Indira Talwani of the US District Court, Boston, handed Akande an eight-year jail term, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $1,393,230 in restitution to the US government. According to a statement by…

The Nigerian military has arrested additional serving officers over an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, deepening an investigation that has lingered since last year. Among those reportedly detained is Major H. Yusuf of the Nigerian Army, a member of the 57th Regular Course, who recently completed the Senior Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji. Security sources said the officer is being held alongside several others over what authorities described as a conspiracy aimed at destabilising the government. However, full details of the alleged plot remain unclear, as the Armed Forces…

The Rivers State House of Assembly has suspended impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, in what appears to be a dramatic turn in the protracted political crisis rocking the state. The decision was taken on Thursday during the Assembly’s resumed plenary in Port Harcourt, where lawmakers adopted a motion halting the impeachment process. The development followed a high-level political intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who recently met with Fubara; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; and key leaders of the Assembly in Abuja. Though details of the closed-door meeting were not made…

A Nigerian TikTok content creator, popularly known as Mirabel, has retracted her earlier allegation of rape, admitting that she may have hallucinated due to drug use. Mirabel, whose TikTok handle is @mirab351, had in a viral video alleged that an unidentified man sexually assaulted her at her residence in Ogun State, claiming that the suspect injured her with a blade. The allegation sparked outrage on social media and prompted widespread reactions, with many Nigerians calling for a thorough investigation. The Ogun State Police Command had subsequently confirmed that it commenced investigation into the claim. The state Police Public Relations Officer,…