Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Ummaru, has warned security agencies that military crackdowns will only worsen insecurity in Katsina and other parts of the North-West. Ummaru, who spoke on Saturday during a peace dialogue between bandit groups and community leaders in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, insisted that killings of suspected bandits would only multiply their numbers. “If today you kill 10 bandits, tomorrow you’ll see 20. Kill 20, another 30 will rise from our bushes and villages,” Ummaru declared in a video obtained by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency platform monitoring Lake Chad and North-West conflicts. He accused…

The Managing Director of the Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, Engineer (Dr.) Adedeji Ashiru, has been conferred with the prestigious Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senator Award in recognition of his contributions to public service and community development. Ashiru received the honour at the JCI Africa Middle East Senate Association Summit held recently, where leaders across the continent gathered to share ideas on transformative leadership and innovative solutions to Africa’s challenges. Speaking shortly after the investiture, Ashiru described the award as a motivation to intensify efforts in delivering impact-driven projects. “This recognition is an honour that will encourage me to do…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that democracy in Africa risks collapse unless electoral processes are reformed to stop manipulation that keeps underperforming leaders in power. Jonathan, speaking at the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) Democracy Dialogue held in Accra, Ghana, said leaders who fail to deliver should be voted out—if only elections were free, fair, and credible. “Democracy in Africa is going through a period of strain and risks collapse unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform it,” Jonathan said. “If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our…

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…