Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Ministry of Works has proposed a total of N12.39bn in the 2026 Appropriation Bill for the settlement of judgment debts, repayment of liabilities on completed projects and other administrative expenses. PLATFORM TIMES reports that details obtained from the budget estimates presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu on December 19, 2025, show that the ministry earmarked N5bn specifically for the settlement of judgment debts arising from court rulings against it. A breakdown of the allocation indicates that N1.4bn is meant to cover general judgment debts, while N3.99bn is set aside for a specific legal matter referenced…

Tension gripped the Fagge area of Kano State on Wednesday after residents accused personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps of torturing a suspect, Khalifa Usman Abdullahi, to death while in custody. The incident sparked spontaneous protests, with angry youths threatening to set the NSCDC office in the area ablaze as they demanded justice for the deceased. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Abdullahi was allegedly arrested by NSCDC operatives over claims that he stole money belonging to some personnel of the corps. Instead of subjecting him to a formal investigation in line with established procedures, residents alleged that the…

A nutrition expert has raised the alarm over the worsening malnutrition crisis in Kano State, following revelations that more than half of children under the age of five in the state are stunted. The Chairman of the Institute of Dietetics in Nigeria (IDN), Kano State Chapter, Dr Auwal Musa Umar, disclosed that 51.9 per cent of children under five in Kano suffer from stunting, describing the figure as “deeply alarming” and a clear indicator of chronic malnutrition. Dr Umar made the disclosure in an interview, where he called for urgent and coordinated intervention by the government, media organisations and other…

The Bodija Estates and Environs Muslim Community (BEEMC) has inaugurated a new Executive Council, with former Chairman of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission, Aare Isiaka Abiola Olagunju, SAN, emerging as Chairman, while Ibadan North APC chieftain, Alhaji Taofeek Olayiwola, was named Vice Chairman. The new leadership was unveiled on Sunday during the 32nd Annual General Meeting of the community held at the BEEMC Central Mosque, Bodija Housing Estate, Ibadan, PLATFORM TIMES reports. The well-attended AGM marked a transition in the affairs of the Muslim body, as members endorsed the new executive to pilot its activities for the next administrative…

No fewer than two million Nigerians are projected to slip into poverty in 2026, pushing the number of people living below the poverty line to about 141 million, or 62 per cent of the population, despite a gradual slowdown in inflation, a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has warned The figure represents an increase from an estimated 139 million people in 2025 and marks the highest poverty rate ever recorded in Africa’s most populous country, according to PwC’s Nigeria Economic Outlook The professional services firm said the grim outlook reflects the lingering effects of policy gaps, global economic shocks and…

No fewer than 38 Nigerians lost their lives to electricity-related incidents between July and September 2025, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said. According to the Commission’s third-quarter safety report for 2025, the death toll represents an increase from the 33 fatalities recorded in the preceding quarter, underscoring persistent safety risks within the power sector. NERC disclosed that all the reported fatalities occurred at the distribution end of the electricity value chain, describing it as the most dangerous segment for consumers and workers alike. It noted that neither the Transmission Company of Nigeria nor any of the generation companies recorded…

President of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has withdrawn a petition he filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission against the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed. PLATFORM TIMES gathered on Wednesday night that the petition was formally withdrawn through Dangote’s lawyer, Mr Ogwu Onoja (SAN). However, it was learnt that the withdrawal followed the decision of another government agency to take over the matter, prompting a review of the process already initiated at the ICPC. Dangote had in December accused Ahmed of allegedly abusing…

 A Jigawa State High Court has sentenced Abubakar Muhd, popularly known as Akuya, to death by hanging for raping a 15-year-old boy, and ordered him to pay N5 million in compensation to the victim The case, filed in March 2022, faced delays as prosecutors awaited additional evidence and witness testimonies. Initially classified as sodomy, the offence was redefined under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, 2012, which criminalises same-sex rape and allows for harsher penalties. Delivering judgment on Thursday, Hon. Justice Ado Yusif Birnin-Kudu said Muhd committed a “heinous crime against a minor,” contravening Sections 3(1)(a)&(b) and punishable under…

The Niger State Commissioner of Mineral Resources, Hon. Muhammed Qasim Danjuma, has called for the immediate revival of the state’s illegal mining task force to strengthen enforcement against offenders. Danjuma made the appeal on Wednesday during a visit to the Niger State Police Headquarters in Minna, where he met with the State Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Abdullahi Elleman. He said reviving the task force would help curb criminal activities linked to illegal mining and promote peace in the state. “Some miscreants are hiding under the guise of mining to perpetrate crime and cause chaos in our communities,” Danjuma said.…

Kano politics hit a new low on Thursday as Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and head of the Kwankwasiyya movement, took a thinly veiled swipe at his former protégé, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, over persistent rumors of a ₦250 billion inducement to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a viral social media video, Kwankwaso mocked the alleged offer, saying: “I want to remind you that I deserve a share of the billions you stand to gain after defecting to the ruling party, for it was me who delivered the election…