Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji The Chief Imam of the University of Abuja and Chief Missionary of Dawah Front, Prof. Taofeek AbdulAzeez, on Friday faulted the Federal Government’s policies, saying the prevailing hardship in the country suggests that leaders are governing without the fear of God or a sense of accountability. AbdulAzeez stated this in an exclusive interview with PLATFORM TIMES shortly after the inaugural Jumat prayer at the Qudus Abd Lateef Central Mosque, located at Power Line, Gbokoniyi, Ojere Road, Abeokuta. The Islamic scholar, while congratulating Muslims on witnessing another Ramadan, said the holy month goes beyond abstaining from food and drink,…

The Ogun State Government has begun a comprehensive review of inmates on death row, declaring that while it will tread cautiously on capital punishment, there will be no leniency for convicts involved in ritual killings, kidnapping and sexual offences. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), disclosed this during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Friday. Ogungbade said the state was carefully scrutinising death penalty cases to determine which sentences must be executed strictly in accordance with court pronouncements, stressing that the irreversible nature of capital punishment demands caution.…

Daud Olatunji Fresh cracks have emerged within the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State following conflicting claims over the conduct of the party’s Ward Congress, with a stakeholders’ forum alleging exclusion and manipulation, while the state chapter insists the exercise was peaceful and credible. In a press release dated February 20, 2026, the Ogun East Stakeholders/Leaders Forum of the APC faulted reports credited to members of the Ward Congress Appeal Committee claiming that no petition was received regarding the conduct of the congress. The forum described the claim as “far from the truth,” alleging that the Appeal Committee only addressed…

Lagos continues to dominate Nigeria’s cinema landscape, contributing more than half of the country’s N14.52 billion box office revenue in 2025, a significant jump from N10.74 billion in 2024, according to data from FilmOne Entertainment. The commercial hub recorded N7.94 billion in earnings across 41 cinema locations, attracting over 1.28 million ticket sales. While Lagos accounted for more than 50% of total revenue, it represented just 45% of total admissions highlighting the city’s higher ticket prices fueled by premium options like IMAX and its wealthier audience. Outside Lagos, the “billion-naira club” expanded for the first time. The Federal Capital Territory…

…43,000 Nigerians Bitten Annually, Nearly 2,000 Fatalities Reported …Each Dose Costs Up To N250,000, Straining Public Health Budgets …Govt Urged To Equip Grassroots Health Centres Urgently Daud Olatunji Nigeria is facing a deadly health crisis as rural communities continue to lose lives to snakebites, with 43,000 reported cases and nearly 2,000 deaths every year. The country’s 30,000 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) remain largely unequipped to treat snakebite victims, with anti-venom costing between N180,000 and N250,000 per dose. Severe cases can require up to five doses, putting enormous pressure on public health budgets. … A life lost too soon The tragic…

The Ogun State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has raised the alarm over what it described as a controversial high-profile development within the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate along the Abeokuta–Kobape-Siun-Sagamu -Interchange Expressway in Ogun State, warning that the rights and investments of subscribers to the residential scheme may be under threat. In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its State Chairman, Comrade Onifade Funmilayo, and State Secretary, Comrade Ali Adesina, the group called for an immediate probe into the ownership, approval status and land-use classification of the project. The organisation described the structure…

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested nine Muslims for allegedly eating in public on the first day of Ramadan, intensifying enforcement of fasting rules in the predominantly Muslim state. The board’s Deputy Commander, Mujahid Aminudeen, confirmed the arrests on Thursday, stating that the suspects — seven men and two women were apprehended on Wednesday after they were sighted eating in broad daylight. According to him, the action contravenes the Islamic obligation of fasting observed by Muslims between sunrise and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. “We arrested them and they are with us. We will teach them the…

The traditional ruler of Agamo Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Kehinde Jacob Faledon, has been shot dead by suspected gunmen who reportedly stormed his palace on Wednesday night. Faledon was said to have been attacked at his residence in the community near Itaogbolu, where the assailants allegedly attempted to abduct him before shooting him at close range. Police authorities in the state confirmed the incident on Thursday, describing it as a “heinous crime” and assuring residents that efforts were underway to apprehend those responsible. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Jimoh Abayomi,…

A 64-year-old American woman has accused officials at the United States Embassy in Nigeria of mocking her relationship with her 27-year-old Nigerian fiancé before denying his K-1 visa application. The woman, who identified herself simply as Deborah, said the embassy issued her fiancé a 221(g) refusal form following his interview, indicating that additional administrative processing was required and that he did not meet the qualifications for the visa category at that stage. Deborah spoke during a live call-in session hosted by U.S.-based immigration lawyer Jim Hacking, where she expressed frustration over what she described as humiliating treatment during the visa…

A United States District Court in Boston has sentenced a 37-year-old Nigerian, Matthew Akande, to eight years’ imprisonment for orchestrating a $1.3 million tax fraud scheme, while American authorities have also extradited another Nigerian, Afeez Olatunji Adewale, to face charges over a sexual extortion case linked to the suicide of a teenage boy. In the first case, Justice Indira Talwani of the US District Court, Boston, handed Akande an eight-year jail term, to be followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay $1,393,230 in restitution to the US government. According to a statement by…