Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Several Nigerian soldiers are feared dead after Boko Haram insurgents overran a military base in Borno State, dislodging troops and carting away weapons and equipment. The attack, which occurred around midnight on Thursday, targeted the 152 Task Force Battalion located in Banki town, Bama Local Government Area, a border community close to Cameroon. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the terrorists stormed the base in large numbers, engaging the troops in a fierce gun battle before taking control of the facility. Sources said armoured tanks and military vehicles were destroyed, while an unconfirmed number of soldiers fled into Cameroon for safety. “Yesterday,…

Excel College, Ejigbo, Lagos, has confirmed two incidents of drinking and smoking by its students in the school hostel, leading to disciplinary actions, including expulsions, sanctions against housemasters, and new reforms to tighten hostel supervision. The confirmation, contained in a statement signed by the school’s Director, Dr. Dele Oke, on Saturday, followed the circulation of viral videos that raised public concerns about alleged moral lapses within the institution. According to Oke, the first video was recorded on May 11, 2025, when a parent brought snacks and non-alcoholic wine to celebrate her son’s last birthday in secondary school. The moment, filmed…

… Ex-president says overstaying in power is a sin against God Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again denied allegations that he attempted to elongate his stay in office beyond 2007, declaring that no Nigerian — living or dead — can produce evidence that he ever pushed for a third term agenda. Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, where he described the recurring claims as unfounded and mischievous. “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian…

The Special Assistant to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on Media Mobilisation, Atu Terver, has narrated his harrowing experience after regaining freedom from kidnappers in Abuja. Terver was abducted on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, and held in captivity for two days before he was released on Friday, September 19. Speaking on Saturday through a social media post, the governor’s aide said the incident left him with terrifying thoughts about his safety and the fate of his family. > “It wasn’t a funny experience,” Terver wrote. “The traumatizing thoughts of what will happen to me and what becomes of my family…

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised fresh alarm over the growing global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health crises, warning that suicide has now become the third leading cause of death among young people. WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, gave the warning on Saturday in a video message posted on X ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on NCDs and Mental Health scheduled for September 25 in New York. “Noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, include seven of the world’s top ten causes of death, including cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease,” Tedros…

Angry youths in Benue State on Saturday blocked the busy Makurdi–Lafia–Abuja highway with the bodies of three victims allegedly killed by suspected armed herdsmen in fresh attacks on farming communities. The protest, which paralysed traffic for hours between Makurdi and Daudu, followed renewed assaults on Abagena and Atsom villages in the outskirts of Makurdi Local Government Area, where three farmers were murdered in their fields around 8:30am. The development came less than 24 hours after two other persons were reportedly killed in a similar raid on Tse Adaa village in neighbouring Guma LGA. Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed farmlands close…

Patients at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, were on Friday left stranded after nurses and midwives in the facility commenced an indefinite strike over unpaid entitlements and poor welfare conditions. The industrial action, announced in a statement jointly signed by the Unit Chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Unit, Ojewumi Olutayo, and Secretary, Adedokun Foluwake, followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the management. According to the union, several appeals and engagements with the authorities failed to yield results, forcing its members to…

Daud Olatunji  Ayetoro, the historic town in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, came alive on Saturday as dignitaries from across the state and beyond converged to witness the official unveiling of the Grand Ayetoro City Club and the launch of its N250 million clubhouse. The event, held in Ayetoro, attracted political leaders, traditional rulers, government functionaries, academics, and prominent indigenes who hailed the initiative as a milestone in the town’s march towards social, cultural, and economic renaissance. Among those in attendance were the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, represented by the Commissioner for Sports, Wasiu Isiaka;…

The new Customs Area Controller of Ogun II Command, Comptroller Olushola Olukemi Akingbade, has met with excise traders and stakeholders in the Free Trade Zones, calling for deeper cooperation to boost revenue generation and ensure seamless trade facilitation. The meetings, marked her maiden official engagement with operators within the command, including representatives of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA). Addressing the stakeholders, Comptroller Akingbade commended them for the cooperation extended to her predecessor and urged them to sustain the partnership under her leadership. She assured that her administration would operate an open-door policy. “My leadership will continue to provide…

… Inaugurates MAVE Lagos/Ogun Chapter  Daud Olatunji  The Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PAVE) Network has warned that the South-West region risks being destabilised by rising cases of arms proliferation, cultism, drug abuse, and unresolved grievances unless urgent measures are taken to address the growing threats. The warning was issued during a stakeholders’ and media engagement session and inauguration of MAVE ,Lagos/Ogun Chapter  held on Friday in Lagos, where participants from Lagos and Ogun states converged to deliberate on violent extremism and ways to strengthen peace and security in communities. Reading a prepared speech on behalf of the national coordinator,…