Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Tragedy struck the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) on Tuesday as four of its senior staff members were confirmed dead in the inferno that gutted Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos. The victims — Mrs Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), Mr David Sunday-Jatto (Assistant Director), Mrs Nkem Onyemelukwe (Senior Manager), and Mr Peter Ifaranmaye (Manager) — were trapped on the sixth and seventh floors of the high-rise where two FIRS offices operate. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS Chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, described the incident as a devastating loss for the service. “It is…

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, announced the end of the six-month state of emergency imposed on Rivers State, declaring that Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Nma Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly will return to their offices with effect from Wednesday, September 18, 2025. Tinubu, in a nationwide broadcast, said the measure, declared on March 18, 2025, was a constitutional necessity to halt the paralysis of governance in the oil-rich state, where a protracted power tussle between the executive and legislature plunged the state into crisis. The President recalled that the Supreme Court had affirmed the…

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebuland, which is next in line to produce the Awujale of Ijebuland, has dragged a businessman, Otunba Abdulateef Adebayo Owoyemi, before the High Court of Ogun State over alleged impersonation as the Olori Ebi (head) of the ruling house. In the suit, the recognized Olori Ebi, Otunba Ajidagba Adedokun, accused Owoyemi of falsely parading himself as the head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House despite having no royal connection to the family. Ajidagba, who instituted the action on behalf of the royal lineage, maintained that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House has its ancestral root in the Ile-Nla…

Owolabi Oluwatobi, Yakub Azeezat, Salako Kayode & Ogunmefun Taiwo Onijanganjangan, a quiet Fulani settlement just nine kilometres from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, looks like a village frozen in time. Hidden behind the Technology Incubation Centre along the Abeokuta–Lagos Expressway, the settlement is home to about 60 residents who survive on cattle rearing, yoghurt production, and subsistence farming. The recent visit revealed that, beyond its pastoral charm lies a story of deprivation. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the village, founded in 2007 by nomadic Fulani families, has no school, no clinic, no electricity, and no legal security of tenure. Further findings…

… 651 kidneys illegally transplanted In Nigeria At $41bn In 5 years … Criminal gangs, health workers named as facilitators A Professor of Medicine at Bayero University Kano (BUK) and consultant nephrologist at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Prof. Aliyu Abdu, has raised alarm over the scale of illegal kidney trade in Nigeria, revealing that at least 651 kidneys worth over $41 billion were trafficked and transplanted in the country between 2015 and 2020. Speaking at a seminar on National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Standards organised by Clarion Call Care Foundation in Abuja, Abdu disclosed that globally, an estimated 10,000…

The Ogun State Government has issued a public health alert over the rising number of diphtheria cases across the state, warning residents to take urgent preventive measures against the potentially fatal disease. In a statement on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial infection, has been declared a public health concern, stressing that vaccination remains the most effective protection. “Diphtheria is preventable. Parents are strongly encouraged to ensure that children receive all recommended routine immunizations. Adults who missed their vaccines should also get protected,” Coker said. She added that the disease spreads easily…

Aisha Waliyullah Tragedy struck in Plateau State as suspected kidnappers killed the traditional ruler of Shuwaka, Kyaram District in Garga community, Kanam Local Government Area, six days after his abduction. The monarch, Hudu Hassan Barau, popularly known as Sarkin Shuwaka, was kidnapped by armed bandits last week, only for his lifeless body to be discovered in a bush on Monday morning. The Kanam Development Association (KDA) confirmed the gruesome discovery in a statement jointly signed by its chairman, Garba Aliyu, and secretary, Shehu Kanam. “We are consumed by grief and outrage as we received the tragic news of the death…

The councillor representing Ward 13 in Abeokuta South Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Jasul, has distributed educational materials and furniture to pupils in his ward, saying the gesture was part of his commitment to ease the burden of parents struggling with the rising cost of education. Jasul, who was elected in November 2024, donated ten student lockers, 350 exercise books, 200 pens, pencils, erasers, and sharpeners to pupils  within the ward. Speaking during the presentation on Tuesday, Jasul said many parents could no longer afford basic school items due to the harsh economic situation in the country. “As you can see,…

The lingering industrial crisis at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, took a dramatic twist on Monday as soldiers were reportedly deployed to safeguard examination halls following threats from striking lecturers. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), led by Comrade Kolo Joshua, had on September 15 declared an indefinite strike to protest 18 months of unpaid excess workload allowances. The union directed its members to boycott the ongoing semester examinations and allegedly warned against supervising the exercise. Sources within the institution told PLATFORM TIMES that the management brought in armed soldiers to prevent disruption after some staff volunteered to…

Daniel Osinyemi  The Nigerian Army has confirmed a major offensive against a dreaded criminal gang in Imo State, killing five suspected fighters linked to the so-called “Unknown Gunmen,” including the deputy commander of their feared leader, known as Gentle De Yahoo. The operation, carried out by troops of the 34 Brigade under the 82 Division, took place in Aku, Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area — a community that shares borders with Abia and Anambra States. According to military sources, the troops had trekked nearly four hours to the target location to avoid detection before storming the residence believed to be…