Author: Platform Times Newspaper

….Ex-governor Urges Supporters To Respect SolemnionlOf Funeral …Says Only God knows Ogun’s Next Governor Daud Olatunji A solemn funeral service for the late Mrs Sabainah Ibironke Opawole, mother-in-law of former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, briefly turned into a political arena on Friday as supporters of the leading contenders in the 2027 Ogun State governorship race traded campaign slogans inside the church. The development unfolded during the burial service held at Ibara Baptist Church, Abeokuta, where political heavyweights across party lines had gathered to honour the late matriarch. The atmosphere became charged when the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate,…

The Anambra State Police Command has launched a manhunt for a teacher accused of allegedly flogging a 12-year-old pupil to death in Adazi-Ani, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state. The command said the teacher fled after the incident, while efforts were underway to apprehend the suspect and unravel the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, saying the search was being coordinated under the Command’s Safe School Initiative Operations headed by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Harrison Oruruo. According to Ikenga,…

Paul University, Awka, Anambra State, has suspended an Anglican priest and member of its academic support staff, Ven. Cornelius C. Eze, over allegations of sexual misconduct involving a student. The university disclosed on Friday that the staff member had been placed on indefinite suspension pending the outcome of internal disciplinary proceedings and a police investigation into the incident. The institution, in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Rev. Godisplan Onukwufor, said the accused serves as a Practical Biology Technologist in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. According to the statement, the university management became aware of the…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has said the country’s external reserves, which have climbed above $52 billion, are being strategically built to shield the economy from external shocks and excessive exchange rate volatility rather than to finance routine government spending or meet daily foreign exchange demand. Cardoso said the reserves had strengthened Nigeria’s ability to withstand global economic uncertainties while boosting investors’ confidence in the country’s capacity to meet its external obligations. Speaking at the BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos, the CBN governor explained that the apex bank’s reserve accumulation strategy was designed to ensure…

No fewer than nine kidnapped victims have regained their freedom after escaping from a terrorists’ hideout in Katsina State when their abductors reportedly fell asleep. The victims were later rescued by troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation Fansan Yamma, during an intelligence-led fighting patrol in Faskari Local Government Area of the state. The military also recovered 56 rustled livestock and arrested a suspected terrorist in separate operations across Katsina. The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Friday. According to him, the rescued victims…

A forum of Yoruba lawyers, Egbe Amofin Oodua, has called for the postponement of the Nigerian Bar Association’s presidential election, alleging that the association’s leadership abandoned agreed electoral reforms capable of ensuring a transparent and credible poll. The group warned that proceeding with the election without implementing the proposed reforms could undermine confidence in the NBA’s electoral process. Speaking at a press briefing in Ibadan on Friday, the Chairman of the Governing Council of Egbe Amofin Oodua, Mr Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), accused the NBA leadership of reneging on agreements reached with presidential candidates and other stakeholders to delay the election…

The #EndMalariaInNigeria campaign has called on the Federal Government and other stakeholders to adopt aggressive mosquito control measures as part of efforts to reduce Nigeria’s malaria burden, warning that the country will continue to record preventable deaths unless it tackles the source of transmission. The campaign said Nigeria records more than 180,000 malaria-related deaths annually, making it one of the countries most affected by the disease globally. In a statement issued on Friday ahead of the 2026 World Mosquito Day, the campaign’s Convener, Francis Nwapa, said Nigeria’s current emphasis on malaria diagnosis and treatment was inadequate to eliminate the disease.…

The Supreme Court on Friday reinstated the final forfeiture of seven high-value properties linked to the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, overturning a Court of Appeal judgment that had ordered a fresh hearing on the case. A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, unanimously allowed the appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, setting aside the June 2025 decision of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal. The judgment, read by Justice Mohammed Idris on behalf of the panel, restored the November 1, 2024 ruling of…

The Federal Government on Friday arraigned three suspected members of a terrorist network before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the abduction of pupils and teachers from two schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The defendants — Abdulrazak Umar, Yunusa Musa, and Shamsu Adamu Sani — were slammed with a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism, kidnapping, concealment of information, incitement to terrorism and illegal mining. The suspects, all said to be from Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, were charged before the Federal High Court following investigations into the May 15 attack on two schools…

….Union commends Ogun government, seeks continuity in staff welfare, governance reforms The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Olabisi Onabanjo University Branch, has lauded the outgoing Governing Council of the institution for fostering industrial peace, respecting university autonomy and implementing reforms that, it said, have repositioned the university for sustained growth. In a statement issued by its Chairperson, Dr Yinusa Olumuyiwa Ganiyu, to mark the end of the council’s tenure, the union described the last four years as one of the most stable and progressive periods in the history of the institution. ASUU said the council’s leadership contributed to uninterrupted academic…