Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A tragic incident has claimed the life of a 45-year-old man, Yusuf Usman, who fell into an abandoned well while attempting to recover his mobile phone in Kwa Town, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has thrown the community into mourning as residents grapple with yet another avoidable death linked to unsafe open wells. Confirming the development, the Kano State Fire Service said it received a distress call at about 11:13 a.m. and immediately deployed its emergency response team to the scene. According to the spokesperson of the service, ACFO Saminu Yusif…

Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Courteville Business Solutions Limited, Dr. Adebola Ismail Akindele, has said Ogun State can only achieve sustainable development if it adopts the governance structure and long-term planning model that has driven Lagos State’s growth over the years. Akindele made the assertion on Wednesday while delivering the 4th Faculty of Social Sciences Open Lecture of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, titled “Politics and Governance in Nigeria: The Leadership Question.” He said the consistent developmental progress recorded in Lagos State was not accidental but a result of institutional continuity, structured planning, and adherence to a long-term development…

A 50-year-old woman identified as a suspected member of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has surrendered to troops of the Nigerian military after escaping from a terrorist enclave in the Mandara Mountains in Borno State. Security sources confirmed that the woman, named Ghwa’a Biwa, turned herself in to troops of the 192 Battalion (Mechanised) under the ongoing counter-insurgency campaign of Operation Hadin Kai, deployed in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state. According to military intelligence and counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, the suspect escaped from a hideout controlled by a terrorist commander identified as Wa’a before…

Gunmen on Wednesday abducted the sister of a former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, alongside her two children in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The victims were identified as Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul. The incident was said to have occurred at about 7:30 a.m. in the Challenge area of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area while the victims were on their way to school. A statement issued by Adelabu’s media aide, Femi Awogboro, confirmed that the victims were forcefully taken by armed men. According to the statement, “Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul,…

Residents of Ijebu-Ode were thrown into fresh panic on Wednesday after a strange and offensive odour reportedly resurfaced at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, leaving several students and staff members hospitalised. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred during school hours, when both students and teachers suddenly perceived a pungent smell that triggered discomfort, breathing difficulties and widespread panic within the school premises. Eyewitnesses said some affected students and staff were immediately rushed to General Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, where they received urgent medical attention. The latest episode has heightened anxiety among parents and residents, particularly as it is not the…

The Ondo State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission has declared its readiness to conduct the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election scheduled for June 20, 2026, assuring stakeholders of a credible, transparent and violence-free exercise. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Mutiu  Agboke, disclosed this on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting held in Okitipupa, where he outlined the commission’s preparedness and logistics arrangements ahead of the poll. Agboke said the bye-election became necessary following the appointment of former lawmaker, Jimoh Ibrahim, as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He noted that the…

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed over 40 lives and left more than 100 worshippers injured. The trial judge, Emeka Nwite, handed down the verdict after finding the quartet guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge brought by the Department of State Services on behalf of the Federal Government. Those convicted are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al-Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25. However, the court discharged and acquitted a fifth…

Egbin Power Plc has reinforced its performance-driven culture by rewarding outstanding employees at its 2026 Employee Recognition Awards (ERA), with top staff members receiving prizes, including a brand-new sport utility vehicle. The event, held at the company’s plant in Ikorodu, Lagos, brought together management and employees in a ceremony aimed at celebrating exceptional contributions across departments and boosting workplace excellence. At the highlight of the ceremony, Amos Oshanugo of the Instrumentation and Control Department emerged as the overall Top Performer, clinching the grand prize of a Chery Tiggo 2 Pro SUV. Chidima Celestine from the Operations Department and Endurance Otaru…

A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, has ordered Access Bank Plc to pay a total of N16m in damages to some customers for unlawfully placing post-no-debit restrictions on their accounts without sufficient legal justification. The judgment, delivered on June 1, 2026, by Justice Chukwujekwu Joseph Aneke in suit number FHC/L/CS/878/2023, faulted the bank’s action, describing it as arbitrary and unsupported by law. The court held that financial institutions must operate strictly within legal provisions when restricting customers’ accounts, warning that such actions cannot be based on mere suspicion or unverified links to transactions. Justice Aneke, after reviewing arguments…

Lawyers across the Nsukka judicial axis of Enugu State on Tuesday staged coordinated protests, threatening to shut down court activities over what they described as the persistent reliance on virtual proceedings by judges sitting in the area. The protesters, drawn from five judicial divisions—Nsukka, Obollo-Afor, Enugu-Ezike, Ogbede and Umulokpa—said the arrangement, introduced years ago due to insecurity along the Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road, had outlived its usefulness and was now undermining the administration of justice. Members of the Nigeria Bar Association Nigeria Bar Association Nsukka Branch said judges in the district had shifted to remote hearings following repeated kidnappings and attacks on…