Author: Platform Times Newspaper

..Workers, pregnant women, elderly visitors struggle to access upper floors Petition management over prolonged neglect, demand urgent intervention Daud Olatunji Businesses operating from the Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) Tower in Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, have raised the alarm over what they described as months of deteriorating infrastructure, accusing the facility’s management of failing to address persistent faults affecting commercial activities. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that tenants of the nine-storey commercial complex have petitioned the Managing Director of OPIC, demanding urgent intervention over the prolonged breakdown of the building’s elevators, failure of its central power generator and widespread office leakages. The…

…Renews Call For Compulsory Teaching Of History In Schools ….Says Exclusion, Division Fueled National Crises Daud Olatunji Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday described the January 15, 1966 military coup, the July 29, 1966 counter-coup and the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election as some of the darkest chapters in Nigeria’s history, urging Nigerians to draw lessons from the country’s past to strengthen unity and national development. Obasanjo spoke in Umuahia, Abia State, during the 60th memorial service held in honour of Nigeria’s first military Head of State, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was assassinated on July 29, 1966. The…

President Bola Tinubu has declared that he will vigorously contest the 2027 presidential election, saying he would not relinquish power without a political fight as he expressed confidence in securing a second term. Tinubu made the declaration on Tuesday while receiving members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, led by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Ndagoso, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The President, who was responding to concerns over Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections, maintained that every contestant had an equal opportunity to seek elective office but stressed that he would not make the contest…

The Department of State Services has arraigned five suspected members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru, over the abduction of dozens of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and the alleged killing of two victims. The suspects, who appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, pleaded not guilty to a six-count charge bordering on terrorism, conspiracy, kidnapping, murder and concealment of information. They are Mahmud Muhammad, also known as Abu Bara’a or Abbas Mukhtar; Abubakar Abbas, alias Isah Adam or Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri; Abdulrazak Umar, also known…

… Only 20% Of Nearly 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres Fully Functional …Says Hospitals Face Worsening Manpower Shortage Amid Japa Wave Daud Olatunji The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Oyo State chapter, has raised concerns over the worsening brain drain in the country’s health sector, revealing that more than 16,000 Nigerian doctors left the country for greener pastures between 2017 and 2023. The association warned that unless the Federal Government urgently addresses the factors driving the exodus of medical professionals, Nigeria could face a more severe healthcare crisis marked by acute manpower shortages and declining quality of medical services. The warning was…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has identified 11 local government areas in Osun State as potential violence flashpoints ahead of the August 15 governorship election, directing security agencies to intensify surveillance and prevent any attempt to disrupt the poll. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday during the Osun Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo, saying the commission had activated its Electoral Risk Management framework to detect and mitigate security threats before, during and after the election. According to him, the commission has mapped risk corridors across the state, identified emerging threats and designed targeted interventions to ensure…

The Osun State Police Command has arrested and detained the Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, alongside five other suspects over alleged electoral and criminal offences following a raid on his residence in Osogbo. The police said the operation, carried out on Wednesday based on credible intelligence, led to the arrest of one Oladele Abiodun, who was described as a wanted suspect on the command’s watchlist, alongside Igbalaye and four others. Items recovered from the residence include ₦4.81 million in cash, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register covering Wards 1 to 15, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopier…

The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from the family of one of the suspects. The command said the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma and her friend, Evergreen Samuel, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s mother into believing she had been abducted and demanded ransom for her release. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Peter Aondona, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi. According to the police, Torkuma, a resident of Akpehe, Makurdi, left her residence on July 12, 2026, to…

Nearly eight years after the gruesome murder of Delta State University undergraduate, Elozino Ogege, the Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku has sentenced two men to death by hanging for their roles in the crime. The trial court, presided over by Justice Ngozi Azinge, convicted the two defendants after finding them guilty of the abduction and murder of the 300-level Mass Communication student, whose killing in November 2018 triggered nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity. Justice Azinge, in the judgment delivered on Wednesday, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the convicts. The court,…

At least seven persons have been killed, including three worshippers shot dead inside a mosque, after heavily armed bandits invaded Tsamaye village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The attackers, who reportedly stormed the community at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, also abducted several residents, rustled livestock, looted shops and valuables, and set property ablaze during an operation that lasted for more than six hours. Residents said the bandits did not leave the village until about 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, leaving behind trails of destruction and fear. An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the…