Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government on Sunday warned that at least 11 states face imminent heavy rainfall and flooding between Sunday and Thursday, raising fresh concerns over communities located along Nigeria’s major river basins. The alert, issued by the National Flood Early Warning Centre under the Ministry of Environment, identified Adamawa, Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba, Delta, Niger, Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara as states expected to experience flooding in the coming days. Specific towns and settlements flagged include Ganye and Natubi (Adamawa); Abinsi, Makurdi, Ukpiam and others (Benue); Agima, Rukubi and Odogbo (Nasarawa); Beli, Serti and Donga (Taraba); Umugboma, Abraka and Aboh…

A United States federal judge has raised serious concerns over the deportation of Nigerian and Gambian migrants to Ghana under an agreement between the Trump administration and the Ghanaian government. Judge Tanya Chutkan of the Washington, D.C. District Court, on Saturday, queried the legality of the arrangement after lawyers representing some of the migrants argued that their clients faced the risk of persecution if returned to their home countries. Chutkan ordered the U.S. government to provide a sworn statement detailing measures in place to prevent the forced return of the deportees from Ghana to Nigeria and Gambia. She described the…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its five-day warning strike after securing fresh commitments from the Federal Government on some of its demands. The association announced the suspension in a communiqué issued on Sunday after an extraordinary virtual National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting held on September 13, 2025. NARD President, Dr. Osundara Tope, and Secretary-General, Dr. Odunbaku Kazeem Oluwasola, said the decision was reached following the commencement of payments of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to members who had been owed. The doctors, who had downed tools on September 12, said the suspension takes effect…

Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has directed urgent intervention in Ipetumodu, headquarters of Ife-North Local Government, following the jailing of the town’s monarch, the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States for a multimillion-dollar fraud. Oba Oloyede was sentenced to 56 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko after being found guilty of $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud and filing fake tax documents. His incarceration has plunged Ipetumodu into leadership uncertainty, sparking tension among the ruling houses, kingmakers, and residents. Sources within the community disclosed that the monarch’s regalia, including the beaded crown and…

Armed bandits have entrenched their reign of terror across 10 local government areas of Sokoto State, leaving behind destroyed villages, mass graves, and thousands of displaced persons. From Sabon Birni — hometown of the state Deputy Governor, Idris Mohammad Gobir — to Isa, Goronyo, Wurno, Rabah, Tureta, Dange/Shuni, Shagari, Illela, Tangaza, and Gudu, heavily armed gangs have imposed themselves as rulers, attacking communities at will. In Isa LGA, residents say bandits operate in daylight, parading rifles and mounting illegal checkpoints along major highways, kidnapping motorists without resistance. In Sabon Birni, nights have turned into theatres of blood, with families burnt…

The Taraba State University (TSU) community has been thrown into mourning following the mysterious death of a 100-level student, Comfort Jimtop Oliver, and her boyfriend, Emmanuel Kefas, who was later found dead hours after her passing. Comfort, an indigene of Takum Local Government Area and a member of the Kuteb ethnic group, was discovered lifeless on Friday at Kefas’ residence in Jalingo under unclear circumstances. Empty bottles of hard drinks were reportedly found beside her body. Shockingly, within hours of her death, Kefas — a 2024 graduate of Human Kinetics from TSU — was also found dead in Tudiri community,…

Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Debbie Shokoya, has opened up on why she converted from Christianity to Islam following her marriage, stressing that her decision was deeply personal and rooted in her relationship with God. Shokoya, who was born and raised in a Christian family, revealed on Saturday through her Instagram page that her transition to Islam was not influenced by societal pressure but by her conviction and the need for spiritual peace. She wrote: “Christianity by birth, Muslim by marriage over here… God is love! Humanity always. I have never been a discriminator of any religion. My relationship with God…

Popular Nigerian chef, Hilda Baci, has called on Lagos residents to troop to Eko Hotel with food containers to help finish off thousands of kilograms of jollof rice left over from her Guinness World Record attempt for the largest pot of jollof. Baci, who recently concluded the feat at the Victoria Island venue, revealed in an Instagram video on Saturday that despite large-scale packaging and distribution, a significant quantity of food remained. “We’re still packaging food. There is still so much food. Please, you guys, come through and get the food. It’s a lot and we cannot waste it,” she…

Canada has denied at least 1,596 asylum applications from Nigerians between January and August 2025, fresh figures from the country’s Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) have revealed. The latest data show that Nigerians filed 3,548 claims during the period, out of which 2,292 were approved, placing the acceptance rate at about 65 per cent. This marks a higher approval ratio compared to previous years when rejections of Nigerian claims exceeded 13,000 cumulatively. Nigeria remains one of the top sources of asylum seekers in Canada, alongside Mexico, India, Haiti, and Colombia. Analysts attribute the surge to worsening insecurity and economic instability,…

Troops of the Nigerian Army have killed a notorious bandit deputy commander, Babangida Kachala, and five other fighters during an operation in Kogi State. The operation, carried out by the 12 Brigade Lokoja under Operation Accord III in collaboration with Other Hybrid Forces (OHF), took place on September 11 in Ofere Forest and Ayetoro Gbede area of Ijumu Local Government Area. Spokesperson of the brigade, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, confirmed the breakthrough in a statement on Saturday, describing the raid as a major blow to the bandit network operating in the state. He said: “In a bold operation, troops neutralised Babangida Kachala,…