Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government has announced far-reaching reforms aimed at stamping out examination malpractice in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), with full implementation to commence from the 2026 examination cycle. The new measures, unveiled on Monday in Abuja, are part of efforts to restore credibility, integrity and public confidence in Nigeria’s examination system, which has for years been plagued by cheating, impersonation and other irregularities. Speaking at the announcement, the Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu-Tunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmed, said the reforms would strengthen transparency, tighten oversight…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has stressed that former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, remains innocent until a competent court delivers a verdict on the charges against him. The anti-graft agency said Bello’s trial is still ongoing, insisting that it is not within the EFCC’s powers to determine guilt or innocence, but solely the responsibility of the court. Speaking on Monday during an appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show, the EFCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr Wilson Uwuajeren, explained that criminal prosecution in Nigeria is often a lengthy process that requires the presentation of witnesses and documentary evidence before…

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 55-year-old man, Ademola Joshua, over the alleged sexual abuse and impregnation of a minor, triggering fresh outrage over sexual and gender-based violence in the state. The suspect was taken into custody following a report lodged on January 4 by a man identified as Adewale of Ilara-Mokin, who accused Joshua of engaging in unlawful sexual activities with his niece. Confirming the arrest in a statement on Monday, the command’s spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, said preliminary investigations revealed that the alleged crime came to light after inquiries were made into the cause of the minor’s…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning to the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Ajibola Basiru, to desist from meddling in the political affairs of Rivers State, declaring the state a “no-go area” for external interference. Wike handed down the warning on Monday during a thank-you visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, amid the deepening political tension surrounding the control and leadership structure of the ruling party in the state. The former Rivers governor accused some political actors of speaking “recklessly” about the state after allegedly benefiting…

Judicial activities were paralysed across Ondo State on Monday as magistrates and presidents of Grade ‘A’ customary courts commenced an indefinite strike to press for judicial financial autonomy and improved welfare. The action, embarked upon by members of the Coalition of Magistrates, Presidents of Grade A Customary Courts and Legal Research Officers, led to the closure of all magistrate and customary courts across the state, forcing litigants and court workers to return home. The striking judicial officers accused the state government of paying “lip service” to the issue of judicial autonomy, despite repeated assurances and previous agreements. They lamented what…

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a Port Harcourt–based medical doctor and pastor, Dr. Tombari Joseph Gbeneol, over an alleged plot to assassinate the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in a development that has further heightened tensions in Rivers State’s deepening political crisis. Security sources said that operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team arrested Gbeneol, founder of Life Forte Chapel Church, following what was described as a “high-risk intelligence intercept” involving a phone conversation between him and the immediate past Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo. According to the sources, the…

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has rejected claims by a national newspaper that tuberculosis (TB) is spreading uncontrollably in the country’s prisons, describing the report as “malicious” and “misleading.” Speaking in Abuja, NCoS Public Relations Officer, Jane Osuji, said the January 3 publication wrongly portrayed custodial facilities as “hotbeds” of TB, ignoring verified data from the Service. “The report adopted a sensational tone that is not supported by our records,” Osuji said. “Inmates diagnosed with TB are promptly treated under nationally approved regimens at no cost, and all facilities operate health clinics in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and…

The Nigeria Police Force has summoned a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and an Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in Imo State over allegations that they demanded a N100,000 bribe from a 15-year-old rape victim. The incident, captured in a viral video circulating on social media, involved a teenage girl who reported that an unidentified man broke into her family home in an unnamed Imo community and raped her while her siblings attended a masquerade ceremony during the Christmas festivities. The attacker allegedly threatened the girl with a knife before fleeing. According to the victim’s sister, when the family visited a police…

..Opposition Questions Afuye’s Qualification … APC Dismisses Claims As Political Distraction Daud Olatunji The All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress in Ekiti State have locked horns over the academic qualification of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, following the publication of candidates’ credentials by the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the 2026 governorship election. Documents released by INEC showed that Mrs Afuye submitted a West African Examinations Council certificate, indicating that she sat for the examination in June 1978 at Amoye Grammar School, Ikere-Ekiti. The result recorded credits in Literature in English and…

No fewer than 40 people were killed on Saturday when terrorists invaded Kasuwa Daji market along the Sokobara–Tunga Demo axis in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, abducting an unspecified number of women and children in what residents described as a coordinated and brutal attack. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the assailants stormed the rural market during peak trading hours, shooting indiscriminately, setting shops ablaze and extending the violence to surrounding villages, forcing residents to flee in fear. A disturbing video obtained by SaharaReporters showed dozens of lifeless bodies scattered across the market, while plumes of thick smoke rose from…