Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Chief Judge of Ebonyi State, Justice Elvis Ngene, has raised alarm over what he described as an escalating crisis of confidence in Nigeria’s justice system, warning that corruption and unethical conduct among judicial officers continue to erode public trust and push citizens away from the courts. Justice Ngene spoke on Friday at the High Court Complex in Abakaliki during a special court session to mark the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year in the state. He lamented that bribery, case manipulation, and political interference remain entrenched in Nigeria’s judicial system, stressing that such acts undermine fair hearing and access to…

The Federal Government has approved the release of ₦11.9 billion within the next 72 hours to offset part of the wage arrears owed to medical doctors and other health workers across the country, following the indefinite strike declared by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD). The payment directive, issued by President Bola Tinubu, comes amid nationwide disruption of medical services as resident doctors down tools over what they described as government’s persistent failure to fulfil promises on welfare and salary arrears. In a statement on Saturday, the Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health…

Ayomide Awe The Oyo State Government has disclosed that it received no fewer than 2,215 petitions on alleged land-grabbing and forceful acquisition of properties between 2023 and 2025, signalling rising battles over land ownership across the state. The Chairman of the Oyo State Real Properties Protection Law Agency (popularly known as the Anti-Land Grabbing Agency), Justice Olajumoke Aiki (retd), revealed this while giving an update on the agency’s operations in Ibadan. Aiki said the government has intensified efforts to curb land-related crimes, noting that the agency has resolved 860 petitions, filed 143 cases in court, and prosecuted 480 suspected land-grabbers…

By : AFP President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to send US forces into Nigeria with “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists. In an explosive post on his Truth Social platform, the Republican leader — who had campaigned unsuccessfully for the Nobel Peace Prize — said he asked the Pentagon to map out a possible plan of attack, one day after warning that Christianity was “facing an existential threat in Nigeria.” “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop…

Tension marred Saturday’s local government election in Niger State as angry youths in Kontagora chased away a House of Representatives member, Abdullahi Idris Garba, from a polling unit, accusing him of political interference and failing to deliver good governance. Garba, who represents Kontagora, Mariga, Mashegu and Wushishi Federal Constituency, reportedly arrived at the Tudun Wada Utia polling unit after voting and attempted to monitor the ongoing process when the incident occurred. But dozens of youths confronted him, insisting he had no right to stay back after casting his ballot. In a video obtained by PLATFORM TIMES, the mob could be…

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has sentenced a 19-year-old private school teacher, Abdullahi Abbass, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting his nine-year-old pupil. Justice M. Osho-Adebiyi delivered the verdict on October 29, 2025, after finding Abbass guilty of raping the minor in violation of Section 2 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, which prescribes life jail for offenders. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Vincent Adekoye, said Abbass lured the victim from his home after school hours on March 19, 2025,…

Police in Akwa Ibom State have arraigned a masquerade and its group leader for allegedly assaulting residents, blocking a public road, and extorting commuters under the guise of cultural display. The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, confirmed the development on Saturday, saying the suspects were apprehended after a distress call reported that a masquerade group was attacking members of the public and forcefully collecting money from passers-by. According to the police, the suspects — including the head of the “Ekpo” masquerade group, identified as Uwem Umanah, 45 — allegedly armed themselves with dangerous weapons including spears, arrows,…

Nigeria is heading toward a major hunger crisis, as a new Cadre Harmonisé food security assessment has projected that at least 34.7 million people across 27 states and the Federal Capital Territory will face acute food insecurity between June and August 2026. The assessment, released in Abuja on Friday by the Nigeria Food Security Sector under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, warns that worsening insecurity, soaring food production costs and climate shocks could push millions into deeper hunger if urgent interventions are not deployed. According to the analysis, 27.2 million Nigerians are already food insecure, including 485,109…

A death-row inmate, identified as Abba Hassan, has escaped from the Maximum Security Custodial Centre in Potiskum, Yobe State, prompting a massive manhunt by security agencies across the North-East. Hassan, said to be from Maiduguri in neighbouring Borno State, reportedly escaped in the early hours of Friday, October 31, 2025. Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Yobe State Police Command, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, described the escape as a serious security breach and warned members of the public against attempting to confront the fleeing convict. “A condemned inmate, Abba Hassan, has escaped from the Maximum…

A fresh wave of crisis has erupted in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a faction of the National Working Committee loyal to Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday announced the suspension of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and several other top national officers. Senator Samuel Anyanwu, himself recently suspended by the Damagum-led leadership, announced the move at a press briefing in Abuja, accusing the embattled chairman of incompetence, financial misconduct and disobedience to court orders. Anyanwu, who addressed journalists in the company of factional NWC members, declared that the committee had appointed the National Vice…