Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A deepening hunger and malnutrition crisis is sweeping across northern Nigeria, with over 650 children confirmed dead in Katsina State and an alarming 400 severely malnourished children being admitted daily in Kebbi State, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF). The two states have become epicentres of an escalating nutrition emergency that MSF describes as “unprecedented and catastrophic.” The dual tragedies are unfolding amid severe poverty, food insecurity, desertification, rampant inflation, donor funding cuts, and limited healthcare access. In Katsina State, MSF revealed that between January and June 2025, it treated nearly 70,000 malnourished children, with 9,878 requiring…

In a sweeping move aimed at overhauling Nigeria’s congested correctional system, the Federal Government says it has released more than 4,000 inmates across custodial centres nationwide. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Thursday during a strategic meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Reformatory Institutions, chaired by Hon. Chinedu Ogah, in Abuja. Tunji-Ojo explained that the release followed a nationwide review of cases, with a focus on inmates held for minor and non-violent offences. According to him, the total number of inmates has now dropped from over 86,000 to about 81,450. “The correctional service remains a…

The Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger State, Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, has dragged the Niger State Government to court over an alleged illegal attempt to reduce the constitutionally guaranteed tenure of local government chairmen and councillors. Yakubu-Ladan is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare Section 29(2) of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001 (as amended), which limits LG officials’ tenure to three years, as unconstitutional and inconsistent with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022. In the suit filed on July 11, 2025, with the number FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, the plaintiff is…

The Presidency has dismissed as unfounded the recent claims by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is marginalising Northern Nigeria. Kwankwaso, the 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), had during a stakeholders’ dialogue on the 2025 constitutional amendment in Kano on Thursday, lamented worsening poverty, insecurity, and what he termed lopsided allocation of national resources in favour of the South. The former Kano governor cited the poor state of northern infrastructure, particularly federal roads, recounting a harrowing road trip from Abuja to Kano after his flight was cancelled, which he described as “hellish.”…

The Kano State Commissioner for Transport, Ibrahim Ali Namadi Dala, has denied having any personal or professional relationship with Sulaiman Danwawu, a suspected drug trafficker currently facing prosecution at the Federal High Court in Kano. Namadi came under public scrutiny after reports emerged that he stood as surety for Danwawu, who is being tried over alleged involvement in illicit drug trafficking. The development sparked outrage from residents and civil society actors who questioned the commissioner’s judgment. In a statement issued on Friday, Namadi clarified that his involvement was based solely on appeals from “respected and credible individuals” who vouched for…

The United States government is set to discontinue its longstanding HIV/AIDS treatment support in Nigeria and several other developing nations, as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) faces a sweeping policy shift under the Trump administration. Leaked documents obtained by The New York Times reveal that the U.S. is drafting plans to phase out PEPFAR funding, effectively ending direct provision of antiretroviral drugs and other services that have supported millions of lives across Africa for two decades. The new approach would replace medical and service-based aid with a model that prioritizes “bilateral relationships” and public health strategies that…

… Obi Plots Return to LP As El-Rufai Insists on Southern Presidency Fresh cracks have emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are reportedly considering pulling out of the party over former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s alleged plan to hijack the platform for his 2027 presidential ambition. Sources within the party hinted  that El-Rufai and other southern bloc leaders are dissatisfied with Atiku’s strong push to secure the party’s 2027 presidential ticket, warning that his involvement is eroding the fragile unity that birthed the coalition.…

The sentencing of the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, has been postponed by a U.S. federal court following a motion by his legal team to submit medical records that could influence the court’s judgment. Oba Oloyede, a dual citizen of Nigeria and the United States, is facing a 13-count federal indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio over his alleged involvement in a $4.2 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. U.S. prosecutors allege that the monarch fraudulently obtained pandemic relief funds intended for struggling American businesses by submitting falsified loan documents. He is also…

Former Kano State Governor and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of marginalising the northern region in the allocation of national resources. Kwankwaso, speaking at the Kano State Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the 2025 Constitutional Amendment on Thursday, warned that the continued neglect of the North could worsen poverty and insecurity in the region. He expressed concern over what he described as the skewed distribution of federal resources, alleging that the current administration was prioritising projects in the South to the detriment of the…

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has scheduled its elective national convention for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State. The decision was part of the resolutions taken at the party’s 101st NEC meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, according to a communiqué read by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba. Ologunagba announced that the NEC had approved the composition of both the National Convention Planning Committee and the Zoning Committee to ensure a credible and transparent process for electing new national officers. He said the party leadership had also directed the…