Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Tragedy struck Budu village in Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State on Monday evening when five women, including a pregnant woman, were killed after an illegal mining pit caved in. The victims, identified as Tani Abubakar, Farida Mustapha, Farida Sule, Khadijat Abdullahi and Zainab Usman, were said to have been trapped when the pit collapsed around 6:30 pm, throwing the community into mourning. Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the deceased, who hailed from Budu and Panbi villages, had gone in search of gold before the incident occurred. Despite frantic efforts by locals, the women were buried under the rubble…

A member of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Shittu Ibraheem, has raised concerns over the approval of a ₦300 billion loan by the Assembly during its ongoing recess, describing the process as secretive and questionable. Ibraheem, who represents Saki West Constituency, in a statement on Wednesday, dissociated himself from the approval, alleging that many members were sidelined in the emergency sitting convened to ratify the facility at the instance of Governor Seyi Makinde. According to him, the loan was approved on August 19, 2025 and finalised on August 26, 2025, despite the Assembly being on a six-week recess…

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has unveiled two groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence-driven research projects aimed at revolutionising infectious disease surveillance and response in Nigeria. The projects, launched under the institution’s AIA4OneHealth initiative, were formally introduced on Tuesday at the Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment (CEADESE), with Ogun State selected as the pilot site. Backed by the Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness (AI4PEP) Network at the University of Toronto, Canada, through a  grant from the International Development Research Council (IDRC) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the initiative seeks to strengthen…

A former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has called on the Federal Government to prioritise the reduction of maternal mortality by subsidising childbirth and expanding access to free healthcare. Adewole, who spoke on Wednesday in Ibadan, described Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality rate as a national shame that requires urgent government intervention. According to him, the government must adopt sustainable funding models to prevent avoidable deaths during childbirth. He recommended that childbirth should be subsidised and, where possible, made free—capped at four deliveries in line with the national population policy. “We need to prevent women from dying. Many women…

The Ogun State Government has cautioned stakeholders in charge of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme to guard against unscrupulous individuals who may attempt to sabotage the initiative aimed at alleviating poverty. The Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, gave the warning during a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the National Social Safety Nets Programme Scale Up (NASSP-SU) held in Abeokuta. Onasanya, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr. Jola Oyeneye, stressed that stakeholders must remain vigilant against manipulators and other unjust practices capable of undermining the programme. He assured that both the Federal and Ogun…

… Pilot Refuses Take-Off Until Man Is Removed There was a mild drama on Wednesday, when an elderly passenger was  removed from a Nigerian domestic flight after he allegedly threatened to slap an air hostess who asked him to vacate an emergency exit seat. The incident, which occurred at an unnamed airport, forced the pilot to suspend the flight until the man was escorted out of the aircraft by security operatives. Spokesman for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed the development in a statement posted on his social media page, stressing that threats of violence against crew…

A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced former senior government official, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, to eight years imprisonment after finding him guilty of diverting public funds for personal use. The Bioko Provincial Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that Engonga, once head of the country’s national financial investigation agency, embezzled funds earmarked for official travel. In addition to the jail term, the disgraced official was ordered to pay a fine of $220,000. According to Hilario Mitogo, Press Director of the Supreme Court, Engonga and five other senior officials were prosecuted for misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to the state. Engonga’s…

Controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has stirred emotions online after revealing he dreamt about his late father. Bobrisky, who shared the emotional experience on his Instagram page on Wednesday, said the dream left him in tears when he woke up. In a heartfelt note, the Lagos-born socialite recounted fond memories with his late father, including moments of care and support he rendered while he was alive. “Daddy, you appeared to me in my dream this morning. You miss how I spoiled you silly on earth, right? You miss how I did your laundry, cooked for you…

Nigerians paid kidnappers a staggering N2.57 billion as ransom between July 2024 and June 2025, a new report by geopolitical research firm, SBM Intelligence, has revealed. The report, titled “Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry”, noted that kidnappers demanded a total of N48 billion within the one-year period, but received only a fraction of the amount. According to the study, at least 4,722 people were abducted in 997 incidents, while no fewer than 762 persons lost their lives in kidnap-related violence. “Kidnapping has evolved into a highly lucrative criminal enterprise in Nigeria, with 4,722 civilians abducted and N2.56 billion confirmed in…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intensified its clampdown on fake and unregistered drugs, raiding illegal markets in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and Asaba, with seized products valued at over N110 million. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the nationwide special enforcement operation targeted street hawkers and peddlers who openly sold fake, expired, and unapproved pharmaceutical products in defiance of regulations. Items confiscated during the raids included aphrodisiacs, oxytocins, narcotic analgesics, tramadol, morphine, sex-enhancement drugs, antibiotics, painkillers, and several other unwholesome products considered unsafe for human consumption. No fewer than 15 suspects were arrested…