Author: Platform Times Newspaper

More than 3.7 million Nigerians are currently living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to conflict, violence, and climate-related disasters, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed. Sharon Dimanche, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Nigeria, disclosed the figures while delivering a goodwill message at the First Edo State Humanitarian Summit in Benin City on Thursday. She said the rising displacement crisis has left countless families struggling to rebuild their lives with dignity, emphasizing that humanitarian response must extend beyond emergency aid to restoring hope and sustainable livelihoods. Dimanche outlined IOM’s three-pronged strategy in Nigeria: saving lives and protecting people…

Aishah  Waliyullah The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kwara Area Command, on Wednesday seized 1,907 items, including 222 compressors reportedly used in making explosives, in a major security crackdown. The haul also featured 1,107 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 14 vehicles, 317 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 120 sacks of illegally mined lithium ore, used clothing, tires, and imported sugar, with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ₦478,171,315. Acting Area Controller, DC Najeem Akanmu Ogundeyi, during a guided tour of the seized goods, warned of the grave security threat posed by the compressors. “These compressors are specifically used for…

Fareedah Ogundairo The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has raised alarm over the heightened risk of meningitis in 11 northern states as dry and dusty conditions persist across the region. In a meningitis advisory released on Thursday, NiMet warned that cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) can escalate rapidly and become fatal within hours if not detected and treated promptly. The infection, commonly caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, spreads through respiratory droplets, particularly in overcrowded and poorly ventilated areas. The agency’s March 2026 surveillance map identifies Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno as high-risk states. NiMet attributed…

About 63 per cent of Nigerians have fallen below the poverty line following the removal of the fuel subsidy, a new study has revealed, highlighting the widening economic hardship facing households across the country. The research, presented at a stakeholders’ dialogue organised by Agora Policy in Abuja on Thursday, showed that the poverty rate surged from a baseline of 49.8 per cent to 63 per cent after the subsidy was scrapped, before moderating slightly to 56.2 per cent following the introduction of social protection measures such as cash transfers. Titled “Sustaining and Deepening Economic Reforms in Nigeria,” the dialogue convened…

…Over 25,000 Complaints Lodged By Nigerians Annually …Commission Probes Fintech Loans, Electricity Supply, Unfair Tariffs Daud Olatunji The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has revealed that Nigerians are being most exploited by telecommunications, energy, and fintech companies, with over 25,000 complaints filed annually against these sectors. The agency said it has recovered more than N20bn for consumers as of March 2026. Speaking on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the commission’s Executive Vice Chairman, Tunji Bello, said between March and August 2025 alone, more than 9,000 consumer complaints were resolved, with over N10bn recovered for aggrieved Nigerians. Bello…

The crisis rocking the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may be heading towards a political truce as a faction within the party has expressed readiness to reconcile with the camp loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, while insisting the party must present a presidential candidate in the next general election. The development comes amid deepening divisions within the party over its future political direction and the possibility of supporting President Bola Tinubu for a second term. Factional National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ini Ememobong, disclosed this during an appearance on Arise News’ Morning Show,…

Uthman Ogunfolaji Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has revealed that disagreements over the choice of a running mate scuttled an early alliance between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2011 general election. Mohammed disclosed this during an interview with political content creator, Edmund Obilo, explaining that negotiations between the political blocs of the two leaders broke down after they failed to agree on who would emerge as the vice-presidential candidate. According to him, the camp of Buhari, which operated under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, had already settled…

The wife and son of a prominent petrol dealer in Kwara State, Alhaji Abass, popularly known as Daniyan Saba, have reportedly escaped from their abductors days after they were kidnapped by gunmen in Edu Local Government Area of the state. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the victims were abducted in the early hours of Saturday when heavily armed men stormed Ndeji community in the Lafiagi Emirate, causing panic among residents before whisking the woman and her child to an unknown destination. Sources in the area said the incident threw the community into fear as residents fled their homes during the attack.…

Fawaz Adebisi The Senate on Thursday announced plans to review the legality of the defection of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing Abia South, from the All Progressives Grand Alliance to the African Democratic Congress. Abaribe was among a group of lawmakers who formally defected to the ADC during plenary, a move that immediately sparked constitutional concerns among some senators. Raising the issue, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, cited Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which stipulates that any lawmaker who defects from the political party that sponsored his election must vacate his seat unless the defection is triggered…

A former South-West National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olabode George, has blamed the lingering crisis rocking the opposition party on greed, personal ambition, and a growing disregard for the ideals laid down by its founding fathers. George stated this during an interview on the Frontline programme of Eagle 102.5 FM in Ijebu-Ilese, Ogun State, on Thursday. The PDP chieftain said the internal divisions within the party were not driven by ideological disagreements but by the refusal of some members to respect the zoning formula designed by the party’s founding leaders to ensure fairness and national balance. According…