Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Lagos residents are facing mounting health challenges as the strike by health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) enters its second month, crippling public hospitals and forcing patients to seek costly alternatives. Since the strike began on December 3, 2025, services across Lagos State’s primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals have been severely disrupted. Visits by PLATFORM TIMES to major public hospitals on Tuesday revealed closed departments, overcrowded waiting areas, and overstretched medical staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. While doctors and nurses remain on duty in emergency and clinical units, the withdrawal of non-clinical staff—including…

..Defence minister says Sympathy For Bandits Fuels Bloodshed … Warns Clerics, Influencers Against Moral Cover For Criminals Daud Olatunji  The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Musa, has warned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, and other perceived sympathisers of terrorists and bandits to desist from offering any form of support—direct or indirect—to criminal groups threatening Nigeria’s security. Musa issued the warning on Wednesday during an official visit to Maiduguri, Borno State, where he said narratives that excuse or justify terrorism and banditry have continued to fuel insecurity across the country. He stressed that criminal activities must never be cloaked in ethnic,…

The Edo State Police Command has arrested a 34-year-old tyre repairer, Idris Isiaka, for allegedly staging his own abduction in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state, and extorting millions of naira as ransom from his family. Isiaka, popularly known as a vulcaniser, was arrested after police investigations revealed that the purported kidnapping, reported to have occurred on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in Emaudo Community, was allegedly orchestrated by the suspect in collaboration with two accomplices. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the suspect deliberately spread news of…

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a masquerade accused of unleashing violent, unprovoked attacks on residents of Awgbu community in Orumba North Local Government Area, following a viral video that sparked widespread outrage. The suspect was apprehended after footage circulated online showing the masquerade chasing passers-by, attacking motorcyclists and disrupting a public event, thereby throwing the community into panic. The incident occurred during the Ofala festival held in honour of the late traditional ruler of Awgbu, Igwe M. C. Okechukwu (Ezedioramma II, Ezekanunu III), over the weekend. Video clips captured the masquerade forcefully pushing riders off motorcycles, pursuing residents…

The United States government has announced the suspension of immigrant visa processing for Nigeria and 74 other countries, marking a fresh escalation in President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policy. The decision, announced on Wednesday by the US State Department, affects a total of 75 countries and is aimed at what the Trump administration described as efforts to prevent abuse of America’s immigration and welfare systems. State Department spokesman, Tommy Pigott, said the suspension would remain in place while Washington reviews its immigration procedures. “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who…

The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have signed a new agreement aimed at ending decades of industrial unrest and repositioning Nigeria’s public universities for stability, competitiveness and improved quality delivery. The pact, signed and unveiled on Wednesday at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall, Maitama, Abuja, formally replaces the controversial 2009 agreement that triggered repeated strikes and prolonged disruptions of academic calendars across federal universities. The ceremony was attended by key stakeholders, including the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad; Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi;…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed January 23, 2026, to hear an application seeking to stay further proceedings in a leadership tussle rocking the Peoples Democratic Party. The application was filed by a faction of the PDP led by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kabiru Turaki, against a suit instituted by another faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter on Wednesday to enable counsel to the plaintiffs, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, to formally respond to the motion for stay of proceedings. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, was instituted…

A chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ganiyu Oyedepo, popularly known as Koko Zaria, has publicly accused his former boss, Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, of betrayal and alleged sexual relationships with his wives and girlfriends. The allegations were made in a viral video circulating on social media on Wednesday, in which Koko Zaria spoke emotionally in Yoruba, recounting what he described as years of humiliation, silence and abuse of trust during his association with the influential transport union leader. In the footage, Koko Zaria alleged that despite his loyalty, he endured deep personal…

The National Bureau of Statistics has disclosed that Nigeria’s inmate population climbed by nearly 17 per cent between 2017 and the second quarter of 2025, with Lagos, Ogun, Kano and Enugu states accounting for the highest numbers of inmates nationwide. According to the Nigerian Correctional Service Statistics for 2017 to Q2 2025, released by the NBS on Wednesday in Abuja, the total number of inmates rose from 69,946 in 2017 to 81,710 as of Q2 2025 — an increase of 16.82 per cent. The report, which covers inmate population, correctional centre capacity, unsentenced inmates and admissions, painted a grim picture…

… Three Northern Regions Record Two-Thirds Of All Reported Deaths Nationwide … Ogun Emerges As SW Accident Hotspot As Expressway Crashes Persist Fawaz Adebisi In Nigeria today, the risk of dying violently depends largely on where you live. In some parts of the country, death comes from gunshots and raids; in others, it arrives suddenly on highways packed with speeding vehicles and failing infrastructure. Though the threats differ, the outcome is the same, families shattered, livelihoods cut short, and communities left to absorb yet another loss. An analysis of 2025 data from Nigeria Watch, a national database that documents incidents…