Author: Platform Times Newspaper

No fewer than 34 persons have died while 254 others have been infected following a meningitis outbreak that has spread across nine local government areas of Sokoto State. The State Commissioner for Health, Faruk Abubakar-Wurno, disclosed this on Wednesday, warning that the outbreak had affected several communities and triggered an emergency public health response by the government. Abubakar-Wurno said a significant number of the deaths occurred in homes before victims could access medical care, attributing the situation to delayed treatment as some residents reportedly linked the illness to spiritual causes and other misconceptions. According to him, isolation centres have been…

Founder of the AMS Charity Foundation, Alhaji Mohammed Sodiq, has formally declared his intention to contest the Imeko-Afon State Constituency seat in the Ogun State House of Assembly ahead of the 2027 general elections. This was  disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Tuesday, describing the move as a strategic step towards deepening grassroots representation and accelerating development in the constituency. Sodiq, according to the statement, said his ambition was driven by the need to strengthen legislative representation for Imeko-Afon and address key challenges affecting the people, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, youth empowerment and education.…

The Federal Government has prohibited recipients of honorary degrees from prefixing their names with the title “Dr,” in a sweeping move aimed at curbing what it described as the growing abuse and commercialisation of academic honours in Nigeria. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, following a decision reached at the Federal Executive Council meeting held on April 30. Alausa said the directive was part of broader efforts to restore integrity to the nation’s academic system, lamenting that honorary degrees had, over the years, been reduced to…

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has warned that escalating insecurity across the country poses a major threat to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections ahead of the 2027 general polls. Amupitan raised the concern on Wednesday in Abuja during a strategic meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, as part of early consultations on security preparations for the 2027 elections. The INEC chairman cautioned that persistent violence, electoral malpractice and widening security gaps could erode public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process if urgent and coordinated action is not taken. He…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the interim forfeiture of nine high-value properties allegedly linked to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in a move tied to ongoing investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over suspected illicit asset acquisition. Justice Obiora Egwuatu, who delivered the ruling on Wednesday, granted the order following an ex parte application filed by the anti-graft agency, which told the court that preliminary investigations indicated the properties were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. In the ruling, the court directed that the assets be temporarily forfeited…

A Gombe State High Court has convicted and sentenced a magistrate, Mohammad Kumo, to two years and six months’ imprisonment for bribery, following his prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice H.H. Kereng, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, also gave the convict an option of a N250,000 fine and ordered him to pay N500,000 as compensation to the EFCC for the cost of investigation and prosecution. Kumo was arraigned on December 3, 2025, on a three-count charge bordering on corruption. At the initial stage of the trial, he pleaded not guilty and challenged the jurisdiction of the…

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, has alleged that Nigeria is losing an estimated N20tn annually to revenue leakages, blaming what he described as systemic failures in the management of public funds under the administration of President Bola Tinubu. Agbakoba made the claim in a policy paper released on Wednesday by Olisa Agbakoba Legal, where he accused the Federal Government of failing to comply with constitutional provisions governing the remittance of revenues into the Federation Account. According to the senior lawyer, funds that should ordinarily accrue to the Federation Account are either withheld or diverted before remittance, in breach…

Activist and co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, Aisha Yesufu, has resigned her membership of the African Democratic Congress and defected to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, declaring her intention to contest the Federal Capital Territory senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections. Yesufu announced her defection in a statement on Wednesday, describing the move as part of an ongoing political realignment ahead of the next electoral cycle. She said her decision was informed by what she termed a “deeper understanding” of Nigeria’s political trajectory, adding that the coming days would be critical in shaping the country’s future. The…

The Nigerian military has concluded investigations into no fewer than 1,450 terrorism-related cases at the Joint Investigation Centre, Giwa Barracks, Maiduguri, Borno State, with over 500 suspects already forwarded for prosecution. The Commander of the facility, Brigadier-General Yusuf Audu, disclosed this on Wednesday during an operational briefing on the centre’s activities and its role in the country’s counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East. Audu explained that the centre serves as a centralised hub for the interrogation and screening of individuals arrested in connection with insurgency operations, particularly those linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. According to…

The political temperature in Ogun State rose on Wednesday as the Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, formally signified interest in the Ogun West Senatorial seat by obtaining the All Progressives Congress nomination and expression of interest forms. Her move comes on the heels of the emergence of Senator Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the consensus governorship candidate of the APC, a development that has effectively opened up the Ogun West senatorial contest. Salako-Oyedele’s entry into the race signals what observers describe as a strategic realignment within the ruling party, as stakeholders move swiftly to consolidate gains and maintain internal…