Author: Platform Times Newspaper

At least 15 fighters of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) were neutralised when Nigerian troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) repelled a fierce attack by terrorists in Ngamdu, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State. However, four soldiers were killed and five others sustained injuries in the gun duel that lasted several hours, according to the military. The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Friday in Maiduguri. Uba said the attack was launched by the terrorists who deployed Rocket Propelled…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may require about N870 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections, a former Chief Technical Adviser to the outgoing INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Prof. Bolade Eyinla, has projected. Eyinla, who made the disclosure in Abuja during the Yiaga Africa 2027 Elections Scenarios and Election Manipulation Risk Index (EMRI) Retreat, said the cost estimate reflects Nigeria’s growing voter population, rising inflation, and the logistical complexities of conducting elections across the country’s vast and diverse terrain. According to him, the projection—equivalent to about $600 million—was informed by past election expenditures and economic realities, making it…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of using intimidation, harassment, and financial inducement to lure governors and federal lawmakers from the opposition into its fold. The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, made the allegation in Abuja while reacting to reports that Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah is set to join the APC next week, amid speculations that Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri may also defect. Ologunagba described the ongoing defections as “products of coercion and intimidation,” alleging that the ruling party has weaponised state power to pressure opposition figures into crossing over.…

The Federal High Court sitting in Birnin Kebbi has sentenced the Caretaker Chairman of Sakaba Local Government Area, Abubakar Bawa Makuku, and the council’s Director of Finance and Supply, Ahmed Abdullahi Fakai, to prison for misappropriating ₦54 million through fraudulent contract awards and illegal withdrawals. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) disclosed this in a statement on Friday, signed by its Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, Demola Bakare. According to the Commission, the duo were convicted by Justice E. Gakko after being found guilty on multiple counts bordering on abuse of office, financial misconduct, and…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied reports alleging that it imported substandard or high-sulphur petrol into Nigeria, describing the claims as “false, misleading, and malicious.” In a statement released on Friday, the company clarified that the product being referenced in the reports was not finished petrol but an intermediate feedstock—a globally accepted practice in large-scale refining operations. “The cargo in question is an intermediate feedstock, not finished petrol,” the statement explained. “It will be fully refined in our processing units to meet both Nigerian and international quality standards.” Dangote Refinery noted that, as a world-class complex facility operating within a…

Tension has enveloped parts of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, following the gruesome murder of a female police prosecutor who was abducted by unknown assailants and later found dead. The victim, identified as a Woman Inspector attached to the Ogidi Police Division, was reportedly kidnapped on Thursday and her body discovered in a bush in the Oloje area of Ilorin on Friday morning. Sources within the police command said  that the deceased, who served as a prosecutor at the division, was ambushed by her abductors while returning home. A distressing video showing her lifeless body in the bush has since…

Daud Olatunji A public relations consultant, Mr. Adetokunbo Modupe, has cautioned Nigerians against actions and utterances that could further damage the country’s reputation globally, even as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 Ogun State election, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, warned that Nigeria is gradually sliding into a totalitarian state. Modupe and Adebutu spoke on Thursday in Abeokuta at the 2025 Annual Colloquium of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ogun State Chapter, themed “Leadership and Reputation: The Role of Public Relations in Building Trust in Nigeria.” The event also honoured notable Nigerians, including the Inspector General…

…Targets housing projects in Niger, Abuja, Edo Daniel Osiyemi &  Hakeem Rahmon Gateway Mortgage Bank Limited has announced a significant improvement in its financial performance for the 2024 fiscal year, recording growth across key performance indicators despite prevailing economic challenges. The bank’s Chairman, Evangelist Samuel Durojaye, disclosed this at the institution’s 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday. He said the bank’s gross earnings, profit before and after tax, shareholders’ funds, deposits, loans and advances, and total assets all showed remarkable increases compared to the previous year. “Despite the economic headwinds, Gateway Mortgage Bank achieved…

.. Schistosomiasis, Intestinal Worms Detected In 18 LGAs Boluwatife Olabode Health experts in Ogun State have raised serious concern over the alarming spread of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), particularly schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STH), across communities in the state. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the  diseases, largely associated with poor sanitation, open defecation, and unhygienic practices, have now been detected in 18 out of the 20 local government areas of the state, according to the Neglected Tropical Diseases Control and Elimination Programme. Speaking on Thursday,  during an interactive  stakeholders’ meeting with journalists for the Schol Deworming Programme, held in Abeokuta, Ademuyiwa…

The House of Representatives has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the spending of over $18 billion on Nigeria’s non-functional refineries, describing the prolonged failure of the facilities as a national embarrassment and a gross abuse of public trust. The lawmakers, during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, directed relevant committees to unravel how such a huge amount was expended on the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries over the past two decades with no tangible results. The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Oluwaseun Whinghan, representing Badagry Federal Constituency of Lagos State, who…