Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Females dominate new infections across key age groups …Experts push targeted interventions as disparities widen Nigeria has recorded a sharp decline in new HIV infections nationwide, but fresh data has identified Lagos State and Benue State as persistent hotspots, with health experts warning that uneven progress could undermine recent gains. The latest figures released on Wednesday by the National Data Repository showed that while the country is making significant strides in controlling the virus, new infections remain disproportionately concentrated in a few states and among vulnerable populations, particularly young women. According to the report, Nigeria is nearing the global 95-95-95…

The management of Seat of Wisdom Secondary School, Aliade, Benue State, has expelled 11 students over their involvement in a violent altercation that led to the stripping of a female student, as captured in a viral video that sparked outrage nationwide. The disturbing footage, which circulated widely on social media, showed the victim being overpowered and stripped by fellow students in school uniform during a fight, while others cheered, mocked her and recorded the incident. Findings by PLATFORM TIMES revealed that the incident, which occurred about a week ago, did not take place within the school premises but in a…

Children and wives of military officers detained over an alleged coup plot on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest at the National Assembly in Abuja, demanding either the immediate release of their loved ones or their prompt arraignment in court. The demonstrators, many of them minors, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Release Our Daddies,” “Don’t Kill Our Fathers,” and “Six Months of Detention Without Trial is Injustice,” as they decried the prolonged detention of the officers. The affected personnel were reportedly arrested in October 2025 over alleged involvement in a coup plot and breaches of military regulations. However, their families…

No fewer than 30 students and a teacher have been hospitalised following a suspected gas leak at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred shortly after the school’s morning assembly on Wednesday, triggering panic among students and staff as an unidentified gaseous substance reportedly spread across the premises. Eyewitness accounts indicated that several students began to experience breathing difficulties, while others reportedly collapsed after inhaling the substance, prompting an emergency response. The affected students and the teacher were subsequently rushed to the General Hospital, Ijebu Ode, for urgent medical…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed the names of the National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) led by David Mark from its official portal, in compliance with an order of the Court of Appeal. The commission disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the decision was taken to maintain the status quo pending the determination of a substantive suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja. INEC said the action followed a March 12, 2026 judgment of the appellate court, which directed all parties in the protracted leadership dispute within the party to…

The Ketu Intelligentsia Forum has endorsed a former governorship candidate, Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, as its preferred choice for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. The group, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abeokuta, said the endorsement followed what it described as a “thorough deliberative process” involving community leaders, youth groups and policy stakeholders across Yewa-Ketuland and the state. The statement, signed by its Chairman, Dr Ayilara  Muraina, and Secretary-General, Prince Sola Bamigbade, noted that the decision was based on competence, leadership capacity and a clear understanding of Ogun State’s socio-economic dynamics.…

The Ogun State chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern has lauded Governor Dapo Abiodun for ongoing road infrastructure projects, particularly the rehabilitation of the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway, describing it as a significant boost to safe transportation and sustainable development. The group, however, urged the governor to urgently extend similar interventions to other deteriorating roads within Abeokuta and its environs to avert further loss of lives and economic decline. MURIC gave the commendation after an inspection visit to the Abeokuta–Sagamu Expressway project site on Tuesday, noting that the scale of work and quality of materials deployed reflected the administration’s commitment to infrastructure…

Nigeria has been rated poorly in transparency, accountability, oversight and public participation in debt management, according to findings from the 2025 Open Budget Survey. The report, which assessed publicly available data between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024, identified major gaps in the country’s debt accountability framework despite the existence of legal and institutional structures. The survey, conducted by the International Budget Partnership, found that Nigeria’s systems for managing public debt are not sufficiently clear, consistent or accessible to citizens and stakeholders. Speaking at a presentation of the report in Abuja, the Country Director of the organisation, Olayinka Babalola,…

… Says Nobody Steals Without Civil Servants Knowing … Abiodun, Osoba Hail Retired Top Civil Servants, Unveil Book On Service Legacy Daud Olatunji Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday declared that no meaningful governance can be achieved without the active commitment of civil servants, warning that acts of corruption within government hardly go unnoticed by the bureaucracy. Obasanjo spoke at the public presentation of “Our Legacy, Our Pride: Fifty Years of Monumental Achievements in the Ogun State Civil/Public Service (1976–2026)”, organised by the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, as part of activities marking Ogun State’s 50th…

The Defence Headquarters has said troops of Operation HADIN KAI neutralised no fewer than 100 terrorists, including a top commander of the Islamic State West Africa Province, during coordinated operations across the North-East in the first quarter of 2026. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists in Abuja, noting that the operations dealt a significant blow to insurgent networks operating in the region. He said the sustained offensive targeted remnants of Boko Haram, ISWAP and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad across Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Yobe states. According to him, troops, backed…