Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission over its alleged failure to properly account for N55.9 billion earmarked for the procurement of election materials for the 2019 general elections. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/38/2026, was filed last Friday before the Federal High Court in Abuja. In a statement on Sunday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the disputed funds were meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other critical materials used for the conduct of the 2019 polls. The rights group said its action was based on…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that key leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opposed the emergence of Aminu Tambuwal as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2011, but that he personally backed the lawmaker against the party’s preference. Obasanjo made the revelation in Abuja on Saturday while speaking at a colloquium organised to mark the 60th birthday of the former Sokoto State governor. Tambuwal, then a PDP member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency, emerged Speaker of the House in June 2011 after a dramatic parliamentary revolt that upended the party’s zoning arrangement. At the time, the PDP had…

Renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has accused Euracare Hospital, Lagos, of gross medical negligence following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nnamdi Nkanu, during a medical procedure. Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died on Wednesday after suffering a medical emergency while undergoing tests at the hospital. In an emotional account circulating on social media on Saturday, the award-winning author said her son would still be alive if not for what she described as “criminal negligence” by the hospital and its medical personnel. According to Adichie, her family was in Lagos for the Christmas holidays when the toddler developed…

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, Anikpe Valentine Chibuike, for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Ogechukwu Mmadubugwu, a 35-year-old single mother, in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of the state. The arrest was confirmed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, and dated January 11, 2026. According to the police, Chibuike was arrested on January 7, 2026, by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, following discreet investigations into the killing, which occurred on December 9, 2025. The command dismissed speculations that the woman was murdered…

Panic erupted on Saturday evening when suspected gunmen ambushed a fully loaded Benue Links bus along the Makurdi-Lagos route near Otukpo. According to eyewitnesses, the attack occurred a few minutes before the town, around an area locally known as the Burnt Bricks. The assailants reportedly opened fire on the vehicle, sending passengers scrambling for safety. At least three passengers were injured in the shooting. They were rushed to the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, where they are receiving medical attention. Other passengers managed to escape unharmed. Details about the attackers, including their motive or the number involved, remain…

Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, has firmly denied reports circulating on social media that he is planning to marry former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, describing the claim as “false, baseless and completely impossible.” The rumour gained widespread attention after an alleged wedding invitation card surfaced online, suggesting that Pantami and the widow of former President Muhammadu Buhari were set to wed. The purported invitation, however, lacked a wedding date and other verifiable details, raising questions about its authenticity. Reacting to the claim in an interview with PRNigeria, Pantami said he was shocked that such…

Hundreds of Nigerian pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia were on Saturday subjected to hours of hardship after a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight diverted from Kano due to bad weather was left parked on the tarmac at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The aircraft, which was scheduled to land at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, was diverted as a safety measure following reports of adverse weather in Kano. It, however, touched down in Abuja at about 1pm and remained on the tarmac with passengers still confined on board for more than five hours. Passengers, many of whom had just…

Terrorists operating in Kwara South Senatorial District have demanded N400 million, food, and drinks to release 22 persons abducted from communities including Adanla, Isapa, Isanlu-Isin, and Owa-Onire. Investigations revealed that the bandits, originally from Oke-Ode, Babanla, and Eruku—areas under federal military surveillance—have shifted operations to less-secured communities. Among those still held are nine victims abducted in December 2025, including Oba Simeon Olanipekun, monarch of Afin in Ile Ere, and his son, Olaolu, a youth corps member. Two more victims from Owa-Onire, abducted in December, remain in captivity. Oba AbdulRahman Fabiyi, Olowa of Owa-Onire, said efforts to secure the release of…

United States President Donald Trump has  revised his previous statements on religious violence in Nigeria, acknowledging that Muslims are also being killed in the country. Trump made the remarks during an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, following questions about Washington’s Christmas Day military strike in Nigeria. The operation targeted elements of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter group responsible for years of attacks across northern Nigeria. The U.S. military said the strike was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government. When asked about prior statements from his Africa adviser, who…

The Rivers State House of Assembly has reaffirmed that the impeachment process against Governor Siminalaye Fubara and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, is ongoing and strictly in line with constitutional provisions. The Assembly dismissed recent claims that the process had been suspended or abandoned as false and misleading. In a statement released on Friday, the House confirmed that the impeachment proceedings formally commenced on Thursday, January 8, 2026, under the authority of Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The statement was signed by Dr. Enemi Alabo George, Chairman of the House…