Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Fawaz Adebisi A Nigerian Army soldier has been detained after posting a viral video calling on governors, senators, ministers, and local government chairmen to enlist their sons in the military to fight terrorism and banditry. Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan (service number 18NA/77/1009 LCPL), attached to the 81 Division Task Force Battalion in Maiduguri, Borno State, was reportedly arrested on February 11, 2026, by fellow officers and later transferred to Army Headquarters in Abuja. Sources told PLATFORM TIMES that Olamilekan was held briefly in a cell in Maiduguri before his relocation. It was further gathered that the soldier was initially denied…

The Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has ordered the remand of two senior officials of FSDH Merchant Bank Limited over an alleged multi-currency fraud totaling over N527 million. Bakare Oladimeji Surajudeen and James Olukayode Imokwede were arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Ismaila Ijelu by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ikoyi, on a 10-count charge of stealing and retention of stolen property. According to the EFCC, the charges followed an internal audit by the bank, which reportedly uncovered unauthorized debits of $306,667.81 and €50,250—equivalent to N527,406,916.66—from the bank’s Letters of Credit (LC)…

Zainab Abioye The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has raised fresh concerns over the rising toll of Lassa fever in the country, reporting 82 new infections and 20 deaths in a single week across 14 states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The agency’s latest epidemiological report for week 7 of 2026 shows that cumulative fatalities from confirmed cases have reached 75, representing a case fatality rate (CFR) of 23 percent — up from 19.7 percent recorded during the same period last year. Bauchi, Ondo, Taraba, and Edo states accounted for the bulk of infections, with Bauchi…

Fareedah Ogundairo The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria has suspended the Medical Director of Euracare Multispecialist Hospital, Dr Tunde Majekodunmi, alongside two other physicians, over the death of Nkanu Adichie-Esege, son of acclaimed novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The council’s investigative panel said it established a prima facie case of medical negligence in the handling of the child’s care, leading to the suspension of Majekodunmi; Dr Titus Ogundare, an anaesthesiologist; and Dr Atinuke Uwajeg, Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis Hospital. Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twins, reportedly died on January 7, 2026, following complications arising from a series of preparatory medical…

Uthman Ogunfolaji The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has issued a nationwide alert warning healthcare providers and the public against the use of specific malaria and HIV diagnostic kits over serious quality concerns flagged by the World Health Organization. In a public alert released on Tuesday, the agency said the WHO Prequalification Service (WHO-PQT) issued a Notice of Concern following the discovery of “significant violations” during an audit of the manufacturing facility of Meril Diagnostics Private Limited in India. According to NAFDAC, findings from the audit showed that the manufacturer was not operating in line with…

Fareedah Ogundairo Nigeria has witnessed a staggering 542.9 per cent increase in breast cancer cases over the past three decades, with 53,500 new diagnoses recorded in 2023 alone, a new global study has revealed. The findings, published in The Lancet and drawn from the Global Burden of Disease Study, underscore a deepening cancer crisis across Africa, where several countries now rank among those with the fastest-growing breast cancer burdens worldwide. The comprehensive analysis, which examined data from cancer registries, vital registration systems and interviews with relatives of deceased patients across 204 countries and territories, also projects a sharp rise in…

The Federal Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all Christian pilgrimages to Israel following the worsening security situation in the Middle East. The decision was announced on Tuesday by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Stephen Adegbite, in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by the commission’s spokesperson, Celestine Toruka. Adegbite said the suspension became imperative in view of recent developments in Israel, including the declaration of a state of emergency, stressing that the safety and welfare of Nigerian pilgrims remained paramount. According to him, the directive affects all pilgrimage exercises to Israel, including those…

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Tuesday declared that the nationwide ban on sachet and small-volume alcoholic drinks remains the most effective strategy to combat rising underage drinking in Nigeria. Adeyeye spoke in Abuja at a press conference to mark the commencement of full enforcement of the prohibition on alcoholic beverages packaged in sachets and bottles below 200 millilitres. The enforcement, she said, would be jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the National Orientation Agency and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. Citing a nationwide survey conducted in 2021,…

Aishah Waliyullah A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the brutal killing of a newlywed groom, Yazid Haruna, during a midnight robbery in Kano. The trial judge, Justice Amina Adamu-Aliyu of the Kano State High Court, convicted Aliyu Hussaini and Amir Zakariyya on three counts bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide. Delivering judgment on Tuesday, Justice Adamu-Aliyu held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and described the actions of the convicts as “inhuman and reprehensible.” The court heard that the incident occurred in the early hours of June…

Grace Adeleke The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has urged Nigerians to take responsibility for confronting injustice by understanding and asserting the rights guaranteed to them under the law. Kukah spoke on Monday in Abuja at a North-West regional conference on women and security, where he said the country’s persistent inequality and injustice were not solely due to a lack of constitutional provisions but largely because many citizens were unaware of, or unable to access, existing opportunities. The conference coincided with the close-out ceremony of a project titled “Strengthening Inclusive Peacebuilding and Access to Justice in the…