Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday intensified preparations for the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election, deploying personnel and sensitive materials to riverine and other hard-to-reach areas of Ilaje Local Government Area. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, who monitored the exercise, arrived in Ilaje around 4:30 p.m. alongside the Electoral Officer for the council, Mr. Tope Onajobi, to oversee the distribution of materials to Registration Area Centres. Officials of the commission were seen moving electoral materials under tight supervision, particularly to remote communities accessible mainly by waterways, in a bid to forestall logistical delays on…

Daud Olatunji As preparations intensify ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, electoral logistics across several local government areas have shown a mixed pattern of smooth distribution, personnel deployment, and welfare concerns for ad hoc staff. Findings from multiple Registration Area Centres (RACs) across the state on Thursday, as provided by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to PLATFORM TIMES, indicated that while election materials were being distributed in several locations without major disruptions, gaps in welfare provision, delayed mobilisation in some centres, and minor disagreements over deployment arrangements were also recorded. In Oye Local Government Area,…

Stakeholders across Ogun State have called for intensified community education, youth-friendly health services, and stronger policy enforcement to protect the reproductive health rights of women and girls, following a series of town hall meetings held across the state’s three senatorial districts. The engagements, organised by Gender Development Initiative (GenDi) in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), were held on May 14, June 5, and June 17, 2026, across Ogun East, Ogun West, and Ogun Central Senatorial Districts. The meetings brought together youth leaders, women’s groups, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, health professionals, and local government…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed separatist movement, has announced the indefinite suspension of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, citing what it described as “unguarded utterances” and concerns over internal security and operational control. The group also said Kanu has been removed as Director of Radio Biafra as part of a sweeping internal restructuring aimed at repositioning its leadership architecture. In a statement issued on Thursday by Chikadibia Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State (DOS), the organisation’s highest decision-making body, IPOB insisted that it was not founded as a one-man movement but as a collective self-determination platform…

Former Head of State, Retired Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to close ranks and work collectively with security agencies and government to confront the country’s worsening insecurity, warning that terrorism and violent crimes can only be defeated through unified action. Abdulsalami made the call in a statement marking his 84th birthday, expressing deep concern over the persistent security challenges confronting the nation and the growing toll of violent attacks across several communities. He said the killing of senior security personnel, including the late Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Rabe (retd.), alongside numerous other victims of insecurity, underscored the urgency of coordinated…

Two abductees have escaped from a kidnappers’ hideout in a forested area of Ifelodun Local Government Area after a violent internal clash among members of the criminal gang created an opportunity for their escape, security and local sources have confirmed. The incident, which occurred on Thursday, reportedly threw the camp into disarray after a dispute among the armed kidnappers escalated into a gun battle. The chaos, said to have been triggered by disagreements over the sharing of ransom proceeds and leadership struggles within the gang, forced members to turn on one another. Taking advantage of the confusion, the two captives…

The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted expired pharmaceutical products valued at over ₦12.7bn and about 1.8 tonnes of cannabis in separate operations in Lagos. The seizures, according to the command, were made through intelligence-led operations carried out in collaboration with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other regulatory bodies. In a statement issued on Friday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, the Customs said the operations were driven by credible intelligence, enhanced surveillance, and improved risk profiling systems. He explained that one of the major interceptions involved a 40-foot container laden with…

Three months after its last sitting, the Rivers State House of Assembly has come under intense public scrutiny over its prolonged inactivity, with stakeholders warning of looming governance gaps in the oil-rich state. The Assembly, presided over by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, adjourned indefinitely after a plenary session on March 9, 2026, during which commissioner-nominees were screened. Since then, no legislative business has been conducted, leaving several critical ministries — including health, information, environment and justice — without substantive commissioners. The development has triggered widespread criticism from civil society organisations, political actors and youth groups, who described the situation as a…

A fire outbreak on Thursday gutted part of a multi-storey building housing a branch of Polaris Bank on Broad Street, Lagos Island, triggering panic among residents and business operators in the area. Eyewitness videos circulating on social media showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from the building as bystanders gathered at a safe distance, expressing fears over a possible escalation of the blaze in the densely populated commercial hub. Emergency responders, including officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, were promptly deployed to the scene and successfully contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to adjoining structures. The…

Lawyers in Enugu State on Tuesday escalated their protest against the prolonged absence of judges in courtrooms by sealing off a High Court in Obollo-Afor, Nsukka Judicial Zone, paralysing judicial activities in the area. The action, led by members of the Nigerian Bar Association from Nsukka and Obollo-Afor branches, was in response to what they described as the continued refusal of judges posted to the Enugu North Senatorial District to conduct physical sittings for over three years. The protesting lawyers, who had earlier embarked on a boycott of court proceedings, accused the state judiciary of abandoning the affected judicial divisions…