Author: Platform Times Newspaper

More than 1.5 million international pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the 2026 Hajj, officials have confirmed, as the annual Islamic pilgrimage proceeds amid heightened tensions in the Middle East. Saudi authorities said the influx has surpassed last year’s international turnout, despite disruptions linked to ongoing regional hostilities that have affected air travel and raised transportation costs across parts of the Gulf. The conflict, triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, escalated into retaliatory attacks that disrupted airspace operations across the region, forcing temporary flight cancellations and rerouting of international travel. Major airlines in the…

Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, have neutralised 12 terrorists in a fierce encounter along the Kirawa axis of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, recovering AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenade systems, ammunition and a PKT machine gun. The insurgents, suspected to be fighters of Boko Haram/ISWAP, reportedly attempted to infiltrate military positions held by the 153 Task Force Battalion near the Nigeria–Cameroon border in the early hours of Friday, but were repelled after troops detected the movement and engaged them with superior firepower. A military statement by the Theatre Command spokesperson, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, said…

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has said Nigerian politicians will continue looting public resources unless citizens take decisive action to hold them accountable. Amaechi made the remark on Friday during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, where he reiterated a controversial stance he first expressed years ago while serving as governor of Rivers State. According to him, the failure of citizens to demand accountability has emboldened political leaders to perpetuate corruption and poor governance. He said, “As a governor of Rivers State at Freedom House in a ceremony organised by Prof. Wole Soyinka, I told…

Abdulaziz Umar Ganduje, son of a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has declared his intention to contest for a seat in the House of Representatives under the New Democratic Coalition. Abdulaziz is seeking to represent Dawakin Tofa/Tofa/Rimin Gado Federal Constituency of Kano State, marking a significant political realignment away from his family’s longstanding ties with the APC. Findings by PLATFORM TIMES indicate that the younger Ganduje has already obtained the nomination form of the NDC, a move widely interpreted as a shift towards the political camp of former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.…

The Executive Director of the Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence, Gbenga Soloki, has raised the alarm over alleged large-scale manipulation of party primary elections across Nigeria, warning that the trend could undermine the country’s democratic stability. Soloki, in an open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accused political parties of routinely producing predetermined outcomes that do not reflect the true will of delegates. He alleged that results of many primaries were often fabricated in private locations, including hotels and residences, even before voting processes were concluded. According to the civil society advocate, party members who participate in primaries…

Residents and core indigenes of Iro Township in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have called on the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, to urgently facilitate the installation of a new Oniro of Iro, citing a recent court judgment and growing security concerns in the community. The demand was contained in a letter dated May 21, 2026, jointly signed by the Chairman of Iro Core Indigenes, Alhaji Saliu Wale Bankole, and the Secretary, Comrade Kamorudeen Akindele. The group said the appeal followed a judgment delivered on May 12, 2026, in Suit No. AB/292/2013…

Troops under the Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a 50-year-old woman suspected of collaborating with Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Borno State, in a fresh breakthrough against insurgency logistics networks. The suspect, identified as Kellu Abba, a resident of the Lawanti area in Baga town, was intercepted on Wednesday morning at a military checkpoint in Kukawa Local Government Area while allegedly attempting to ferry supplies to a known insurgent hideout. Security sources said the woman was arrested at about 8:00 a.m. after troops grew suspicious of her movement along a route linked to terrorist activity in the region. She was reportedly…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will carefully study the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja that nullified aspects of its timetable for the 2027 general elections before deciding its next line of action. The commission’s position comes after the court ruled that it lacks the statutory powers to fix or prescribe timelines for political parties’ primaries and nomination processes ahead of general elections. The ruling, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, arose from a suit filed by the Youth Party, challenging INEC’s revised election timetable which set…

A new global study has revealed a sharp rise in mental health disorders worldwide, showing that the number of people living with mental illnesses has nearly doubled over the past three decades, reaching about 1.17 billion in 2023. The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet and led by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, found that the global burden of mental disorders increased by 95.5 per cent between 1990 and 2023 across 204 countries. Researchers analysed data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study covering multiple age groups, sexes and regions…

… NNPC Insists Nigeria Cannot Rely On Single Refinery For Supply … Dangote Challenges Licences Issued To Petroleum Marketers The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss a suit filed by Dangote Petroleum Refinery seeking to invalidate fuel import licences issued to marketers, warning that the move could destabilise supply, trigger price shocks and hand the downstream market to a single dominant player. In a strong legal opposition, the NNPC Limited told the court that granting Dangote Refinery’s request would expose Nigeria’s petroleum sector to serious risks, including supply disruptions…