Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Gombe State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested six suspected ritualists for allegedly exhuming the corpse of an 85-year-old man and harvesting his eyes just two days after burial. The suspects — Adamu Umar (22), Umar Jibrin Aboki (21), Abdullahi Umar Dauda (17), Muhammed Isa Chindo (28), Kawuji Sarki (39), and Manu Sale (23) — were paraded after a joint operation by officers of the State Command Headquarters and Gadam Division in Kwami Local Government Area. They were arrested between 10:00 and 11:00 pm on September 11, 2025. According to the Command’s spokesperson,…

At least seven pupils of LGEA Primary School, Ater Ayange in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, have been injured following the explosion of a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) on the school premises. The incident, which occurred around 2pm on Tuesday, September 16, threw the quiet rural community into panic after the children reportedly stumbled on a strange object within the compound and began playing with it. Unknown to them, the object was an explosive device. A counterinsurgency publication, Zagazola Makama, first reported the incident, disclosing that the injured pupils were rushed to a hospital in Zaki-Biam where…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has indicted a Nigerian, Christopher Adesoji Falade, and his son, Emmanuel Falade, over an alleged $202 million housing fraud scheme in the United States. According to a statement on Thursday, the duo, alongside six other suspects, allegedly manipulated the Minnesota Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) programme, a social welfare initiative meant to provide support for vulnerable Americans, including the homeless and those struggling with substance abuse. Investigators said the suspects enrolled individuals in the scheme but failed to deliver any housing services. Instead, they allegedly inflated participant numbers and submitted fraudulent claims to siphon government…

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 elections, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has declared that his party is open to joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) but only on what he described as “strong promises.” Kwankwaso stated this on Thursday when he received Buhari Bakwana, a former political adviser to ex-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, alongside APC members from the 44 local government areas of Kano State, at his Miller Road residence in Kano. The former governor of Kano reminded his guests that he and other prominent politicians were among the founding figures of the…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that two recent suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever in Abuja have tested negative for Ebola and Marburg viruses. The latest case involved a traveller who returned from Kigali, Rwanda, and developed symptoms shortly after arrival in the country. According to the agency, the patient voluntarily reported at a hospital in Abuja, a move the NCDC described as “highly commendable” for helping to trigger a swift response and reducing potential risks. In a statement signed by its Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, on Friday, the NCDC said further investigations are…

Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Friday confirmed that he has reconciled with his estranged political godfather, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, after months of bitter hostilities that nearly crippled governance in the oil-rich state. In a statewide broadcast, Fubara said the truce, brokered by President Bola Tinubu after six months of political tension and emergency rule in the state, marked “a new beginning” for Rivers. “Our leader, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I, as your governor, have all accepted to bury the hatchet and embrace peace and reconciliation…

Tragedy struck in Adamawa State as torrential rains triggered flash floods that claimed three lives and displaced no fewer than 1,415 households across 13 communities in Yola North and Yola South Local Government Areas. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in a statement issued Thursday, confirmed that the disaster, which followed hours of downpour on Tuesday, also left more than 40 residents injured while farmlands and key infrastructure were submerged. According to NEMA, a joint rapid assessment conducted with the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA) revealed widespread destruction of homes, livelihoods, and food sources. The agency said hundreds of…

The Ogun State Judiciary on Friday announced far-reaching reforms in its bail bondsmen scheme, unveiling the 2025 Bondsmen Regulations and Practice Directions aimed at strengthening professionalism, accountability, and transparency in the justice system. Speaking at the Second Bondsmen Stakeholders’ Forum held at the Judiciary Complex, Kobape Road, Abeokuta, the Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, said the new regulations were introduced after five years of lessons from the pioneering scheme, which remains the only licensed bondsmen system in Nigeria. Justice Dipeolu revealed that the scheme had facilitated the release of over 10,000 defendants on bail since its inception…

…Former INEC Boss Laments Collapse Of Accountability … Urges visionary, People-Focused Governance Daud Olatunji Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s democratic stability, warning that poor and self-serving leadership is steadily undermining national progress. Jega, who spoke as keynote speaker at the 3rd Hybrid Annual National Conference of the Department of Political Science, Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, said the absence of responsible and visionary leaders has left the country trapped in cycles of underdevelopment and citizen frustration. According to him, leadership, democracy, and national development are inseparable pillars…

By Olufemi Ayannuga When Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, declared recently that the moribund Ajaokuta Steel Complex “will not work,” many Nigerians sighed in resignation. Coming from a businessman who has built Africa’s largest refinery against all odds, his verdict carries weight. Yet, should the nation accept his pronouncement as final? Or is there still room for what can be termed a “Tinubu miracle”? When the Nigerian government conceived Ajaokuta Steel in 1979 under President Shehu Shagari, the vision was clear: to industrialize Nigeria by establishing a robust steel backbone. The steel complex…