Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Amnesty International has raised alarm over the continued denial of justice for victims of police brutality during the #EndBadGovernance protests held between August 1 and 10, 2024, across several northern states in Nigeria. In a statement issued on Thursday to mark one year since the nationwide demonstrations against hardship and poor governance, the rights group accused Nigerian authorities of shielding security operatives responsible for unlawful killings, torture, and arbitrary arrests. Amnesty International’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, disclosed that at least 24 peaceful protesters were shot dead by police in Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Borno, Niger, and Kaduna states. “A year on,…

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has raised concern over the Nigerian Army’s inability to provide accommodation for an estimated 13,000 new recruits expected to join the force this year. Oluyede, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday during an oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Army, attributed the challenge to the limitations of the current “envelope budgeting system,” which he described as inadequate for the army’s operational and welfare needs. He said the military was overstretched in terms of infrastructure and warned that the inability to provide shelter for troops poses a major threat to operational…

Yusroh Lawal  The newly inaugurated board of the Ogun State Water Corporation has vowed to transform the agency into a viable business enterprise and improve water supply across the state. Chairman of the board, Hon. Johnson Olu-Fatoki, made this known during a strategic inaugural meeting with the management of the corporation, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Water Resources, Damilola Otubanjo. The meeting was held at the corporation’s headquarters in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Thursday. Olu-Fatoki expressed concern over the corporation’s financial imbalance, revealing that despite government’s N150 million monthly spending on water provision, the agency only generates…

…Condemns Lopsided Appointments, Mourns Late Awujale, Seeks Moral Rebirth The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Ogun State Area Unit, has raised serious concerns over rising moral decadence, widespread social vices among youths, and perceived religious marginalisation of Muslims by the state government. These concerns were articulated in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2025 edition of the State Islamic Vacation Course (IVC), held between July 26 and 30, at SS International School, Idiroko, in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State. Themed “Cheese in the Trap”, this year’s IVC focused on sensitising Muslim youths to the dangers…

A heartbroken father, Chief Benjamin Nwosu, has accused the Commander of the Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG), known only as “Mr. White,” and his son’s friend, Chidera Okeke, of conspiring to sell his missing son, Ekene Valentine Benjamin, for organ harvesting. Nwosu, a native of Umuokeh in Imo State, said his son, who served with the AVG for three years, disappeared during a purported operation on August 9, 2024, in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He dismissed the vigilante group’s claim that Ekene went missing during a field operation against gunmen, insisting instead that it was a…

A disturbing new report has revealed that nearly three-quarters of children and young adults held in Nigeria’s borstal institutions are languishing in detention without trial, raising fresh concerns over the country’s juvenile justice system. According to the report, titled “An Assessment of the Situation of Children and Young Adults Deprived of Liberty in Nigeria,” 74 per cent of those in borstals have either not been tried or are still awaiting the outcome of legal processes. Only 26 per cent have been convicted, a figure experts describe as alarmingly low for a system meant to rehabilitate, not punish. The report was…

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana  Zulum, has relieved two commissioners of their appointments as part of a fresh cabinet shake-up aimed at repositioning governance in the state. A statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Mallam Dauda Iliya, confirmed the sack of the Commissioner for Environment and the Commissioner for Intergovernmental and Special Duties. Although no specific reasons were given for their removal, Zulum expressed appreciation for their service and wished them well in future endeavours. In their place, the governor announced the appointment of Engr. Mohammed Habib and Ibrahim Hala Hassan as replacement commissioners, subject to confirmation by…

The Supreme Court has affirmed a judgment awarding N5.5 million in damages against telecom giant, MTN Nigeria, over illegal deductions for unsolicited caller tunes, in what legal experts have described as a major victory for consumer rights in the country. The apex court, in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, upheld the 2016 ruling of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, which awarded N5 million in general damages and N500,000 as cost of action to the plaintiff. The ruling followed MTN’s failure to obtain consent before deducting funds from the customer’s account for caller tunes. The decision…

…Accuses David Mark-led Leadership Of Illegal Takeover, Vows Court Action A fresh crisis has erupted within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as Nafi’u Bala, a former governorship candidate in Gombe State and ex-deputy national chairman, has declared himself the interim national chairman of the party. Bala made the declaration during a press conference on Wednesday night in Abuja, describing the recent changes in the party’s leadership as an unconstitutional hijack orchestrated by “political outsiders.” He vowed to challenge the development in court if the party’s original structure is not restored. “We wish to draw the attention of all members of…

Yusroh Lawal  Former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, has declared that he is fully prepared to lead Ogun State, as work on his 62-page governorship manifesto nears completion. Isola made the disclosure during an interactive session with members of Good Governance Advocates (GoGA), a socio-political group, held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. He stated that while the document, which outlines his vision and policy direction for Ogun State ahead of the 2027 election, is already substantially developed, it remains open to constructive input. “My 62-page manifesto is almost ready, but we’re still open…