Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A Nigerian political communicator, Segun Sowunmi, is set to play a pivotal role as global policymakers and security experts converge in Washington, D.C., United States, on Thursday for a high-level Capitol Forum on terrorism and religious violence in Nigeria. The forum is expected to draw a broad spectrum of participants, including lawmakers, legal experts, faith leaders, and security analysts, to examine the escalating threat of insurgency and sectarian violence in Nigeria and its broader international implications. Sowunmi, listed among the lead speakers, is billed to shape the direction of discussions with a focus on the structural roots of insecurity. He…

…Counterfeit Drinks Linked To Rising Deaths, Illnesses …40% Of Spirits Market Now Illicit …Smuggling, Tax Evasion Fueling Booming Back Market Daud Olatunji The Spirits and Wines Association of Nigeria has raised fresh concerns over the growing scale of illicit alcohol trade in the country, revealing that Nigeria loses about N428bn annually to the illegal market. The association disclosed that nearly 40 per cent of spirits and wines consumed nationwide are illicit, warning that the trend is not only eroding government revenue but also endangering public health. Speaking at a stakeholder workshop on combating illicit trade in Abuja on Wednesday, SWAN…

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total of N2.036 trillion among the Federal Government, states, and local government councils (LGCs) for March 2026, reflecting improved statutory revenue performance driven largely by stronger tax collections. The allocation was approved at FAAC’s April 2026 meeting held in Abuja, according to a communiqué issued after the session. The distributable revenue comprised N1.320 trillion from statutory sources, N515.391 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT), and a N200 billion augmentation. In total, gross revenue available for March stood at N2.364 trillion. From the total distributable sum, the Federal Government received N789.159 billion,…

The Federal Government has spent no less than N604.8 million on the rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant insurgents under its non-kinetic counterterrorism strategy, sparking fresh debate over accountability and justice for victims of terrorism. Findings from Govspend, a civic accountability platform, show that the funds were channelled into infrastructure, consultancy services, and statutory tax payments tied to the Operation Safe Corridor programme. At the centre of the expenditure is a N47.4 million consultancy contract awarded in December 2022 for the supervision and preparation of a bill of quantities for rehabilitation works at the Kirikiri Medium Security Custodial Centre. Further disbursements…

The Cross River State Government has identified and isolated 10 persons who had contact with a Chinese national confirmed to have reintroduced COVID-19 into Nigeria. The State Epidemiologist, Dr Inyang Ekpenyong, disclosed this on Wednesday, stating that the individuals were traced during an ongoing contact-tracing exercise by health officials. Ekpenyong said the affected persons had been placed under movement restrictions in their homes to curb further spread of the virus. She added that health authorities had visited the workplace of the index case in Akamkpa Local Government Area as part of efforts to contain the situation. According to her, the…

The Central Bank of Nigeria has warned Nigerians to be vigilant following a surge in cyber hack attempts aimed at gaining access to personal and financial information. In a statement issued on Tuesday by its Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi Ali, the apex bank disclosed that fraudsters are circulating fake messages and emails falsely claiming to originate from the bank. The CBN said the misleading communications are designed to deceive unsuspecting members of the public into clicking malicious links or divulging sensitive information. According to the bank, the fraudulent messages often contain false claims about its leadership, licensing…

The Lagos State Government has unveiled strict enforcement measures, including movement restrictions, ahead of the resumption of its monthly environmental sanitation exercise scheduled for Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Wednesday, stating that the exercise would now hold on the last Saturday of every month between 6:30am and 8:30am. He said movement would be restricted during the sanitation window to enable residents to clean their homes, surroundings, and drainage channels thoroughly. Wahab warned that compliance would be strictly monitored, noting that enforcement teams comprising officials of the ministry, Lagos State…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the remand of six defendants accused of plotting a coup in the custody of the Department of State Services, following their arraignment on a 13-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism. The defendants were docked before the court in proceedings that commenced at about 1:46pm after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), informed the court that the charge was ready for hearing and sought leave for it to be read. However, the session was briefly stalled when the third defendant told the court that his counsel…

Health experts and development partners have raised fresh concerns over gaps in Nigeria’s HIV response, warning that thousands of children remain undiagnosed and untreated despite ongoing interventions across the country. The stakeholders sounded the alarm on Wednesday in Abuja during the 2026 Paediatric Breakthrough Partnership Linking and Learning Meeting convened by the Society for Family Health in collaboration with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Speaking at the meeting, the Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Family Health, Yusuf Dayyabu, lamented that too many children were still being left behind in the country’s HIV response. “Too many children continue…

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Wednesday reserved judgment in a high-stakes appeal over the protracted leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the disputed outcome of its 2025 national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. The appeal, marked SC/CV/164/2026, was filed by a faction of the party led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, which emerged from the November 15–16, 2025 convention and is seeking validation of its leadership. A five-member panel of the apex court, headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, reserved judgment after parties adopted their final written addresses, stating that a date for the verdict would be…