Author: Platform Times Newspaper

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…

Yusroh Lawal  As political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections, a prominent Egba leader and Convener of the United Premier Movement (UPM), Chief Olalekan Shoyinka, has called on stakeholders from Ogun Central Senatorial District to put aside sentiments and unite behind a credible, proven candidate for the governorship race. Shoyinka, in a statement titled “2027: A Clarion Call to Our Leaders and People in Egbaland”, warned against relying on sectional sentiments such as the trending “Awa Lokan” slogan, stressing that history shows that no past governor of Ogun State emerged purely on the basis of regional…

Daud Olatunji  The Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised the alarm over what it described as a growing pattern of aggression, provocation, and institutional sabotage targeted at doctors by some senior nursing personnel at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta. Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Wednesday, the NMA Chairman, Dr. Luqman Ogunjimi, vowed that the association would no longer remain silent in the face of persistent harassment and blackmail of medical doctors in the state, warning that legal action would be taken if the attacks continue. Ogunjimi, who addressed journalists alongside the association’s…

Tragedy struck on Tuesday afternoon in Dandalama village, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, as a 17-year-old boy, Lurwanu Suleiman, drowned in an open body of water. The Kano State Fire Service confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Public Relations Officer, Saminu Abdullahi. According to the statement, the agency received an emergency call from a resident, Malam Aminu Dandalama, at exactly 12:54 p.m., prompting the immediate deployment of a rescue team to the scene. “Our men arrived at the location at about 1:25 p.m., and sadly, the victim was recovered dead from the…

…Says over 260 others ongoing The Federal Government says it has successfully completed 135 road projects across the northern region as part of its nationwide infrastructure development programme. Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, made this known during a two-day interactive session hosted by the Ahmadu Bello Foundation on Wednesday. Alkali, represented by the Director of Public Relations at the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Suleiman Haruna, disclosed that 266 additional road construction projects are currently ongoing in the North, while 312 road maintenance works have also been completed. The minister added that the government’s commitment to critical infrastructure goes…