Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has revealed that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari asked him only one critical question before approving the 2021 suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria: whether he had the capacity to enforce the decision. Mohammed disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television, where he defended the controversial move that sparked nationwide and international criticism. According to him, the decision to suspend Twitter, now known as X, was not taken because the platform offended politicians or the political class, but due to what he described as persistent regulatory breaches and “reckless” conduct by…

…Universities, Hotels, Radio Station  Listed In Kebbi, Kano, Abuja …Son Arraigned On 16-Count Money Laundering Charge Daud Olatunji The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced 41 high-value properties allegedly linked to a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), with a combined estimated value of about N212.9bn. The properties, comprising hotels, residential buildings, schools, factories, lands, a radio station and a printing press, are spread across Kebbi and Kano states as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. According to documents sighted by PLATFORM TIMES on Wednesday, the anti-graft agency has also filed a…

Kano State was on Wednesday thrown into deep mourning following the sudden deaths of two serving members of the State House of Assembly, who reportedly passed away within minutes of each other. The lawmakers are Sarki Aliyu Daneji, who represented Kano Municipal Local Government Area, and Aminu Sa’adu, the lawmaker for Ungoggo Local Government Area. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that news of Sa’adu’s death broke first, sending shockwaves through the Assembly and across the state. Barely minutes later, Daneji was also confirmed dead, compounding the grief and disbelief among colleagues, government officials and residents. The death of Daneji was officially confirmed…

A student of the National Open University of Nigeria, Michael Coker, has died after collapsing during an examination at the institution’s Victoria Island Study Centre, Lagos, raising serious concerns over emergency response protocols at the facility. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred around 11am on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, shortly after students had entered the examination hall to begin their papers. Eyewitnesses alleged that Coker collapsed suddenly while standing in the hall and was left unattended for several minutes as he gasped for breath, amid claims that an invigilator prevented students from offering immediate assistance. A student, identified simply…

Several worshippers were feared killed on Wednesday evening after an explosion ripped through a mosque at the busy Gamboru Market area of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The blast, which occurred at about 6:15pm during Magrib prayers, threw the area into panic as injured worshippers lay on the ground while residents fled the scene. The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying preliminary investigations indicated that the explosion was caused by a suspected suicide bomber. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Nahum Daso, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Maiduguri that the attacker struck while…

Terrorists have attacked an outpost of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the Wawa area of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, the corps has confirmed. The state Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Suberu Siyaka-Aniviye, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing journalists in Minna, saying the attackers struck shortly after midnight but no personnel was killed. Siyaka-Aniviye said the assailants, who arrived in large numbers, took advantage of the darkness to launch the attack but were confronted by officers on duty. He explained that the operatives attempted to repel the terrorists, but were forced to tactically withdraw…

The Muslim Congress has explained that the decision by many Muslim organisations to hold major camping and training programmes during the Christmas and New Year holidays is driven by practicality rather than imitation of other faith traditions. TMC said the yuletide period remains one of the few extended windows in Nigeria’s calendar when working adults, professionals, artisans and students can step away from routine obligations to focus on spiritual renewal, personal development and community building. In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation noted that clusters of public holidays around Christmas and New Year — including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and…

Gunmen who abducted 28 travellers, including women and children, in Plateau State have demanded a total ransom of ₦42 million for their release, insisting on ₦1.5 million per victim. The travellers were seized on Sunday night in Zak community, Bashar District of Wase Local Government Area, while on their way to attend a Maulud religious gathering in Sabon Layi community. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the assailants ambushed the vehicle conveying the victims, whisked them away into the bush and abandoned the vehicle at the scene. A relative of one of the abducted travellers, Ibrahim Musa, confirmed on Tuesday that the…

Nigeria recorded 26,866 suspected measles cases and 153 deaths between January and November 2025, with outbreaks spreading across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, latest data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has revealed. The figures are contained in the NCDC Measles Situation Report for November 2025, which showed that although no death was recorded in November, the disease continued to affect mostly unvaccinated children, exposing persistent gaps in routine immunisation across the country. The agency reported 71 suspected measles cases in November alone, spanning 20 states and 47 local government areas. Of the…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of two prime plots of land earmarked for the proposed Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate to the Federal Government, following findings of alleged massive financial impropriety in the abandoned housing project. Justice Mohammed Umar granted the order after upholding an application filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, directing that the forfeited properties be handed over to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria for the benefit of Nigerians. The court also mandated the ICPC to supervise the completion of the stalled housing estate, in…