Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji  A former Governor of Ogun State and Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has called for the removal of constitutional immunity currently enjoyed by state governors and their deputies, saying it fosters impunity and shields them from accountability. Daniel, who featured on Channels Television on Tuesday, said many governors had abused the privilege of immunity by turning their respective states into personal estates and acting above the law. According to the senator, while the immunity clause may have merits, it has been largely misused by state executives who often ignore legislative checks and act without…

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has issued a stern appeal to Nigerians, urging them to desist from paying ransoms to kidnappers and bandits, describing the practice as “counterproductive” and detrimental to the fight against insecurity in the country. Ribadu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while handing over 60 rescued victims of kidnapping and banditry to their families. He said the successful operation — which involved the coordinated efforts of the military and other security agencies — is a clear demonstration that Nigeria’s security forces are capable of rescuing abductees without ransom payments. “Once again, we are here…

Chief of Staff to the suspended Rivers State Governor, Edison Ehie, has filed a N2bn libel suit against the former Head of Service in the state, Dr. George Nwaeke, and Channels Incorporated, owners of Channels Television. The suit, filed at the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt, follows allegations aired on Channels Television on March 29, in which Nwaeke accused Ehie of orchestrating the fire that gutted the Rivers State House of Assembly complex. He also alleged that Governor Siminalayi Fubara sponsored attacks on oil facilities and used the arson to prevent his impeachment. Nwaeke further claimed he witnessed…

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, has revealed that Nigeria lost over $366 million due to the emigration of more than 16,000 doctors in the last five to seven years. Pate disclosed this on Tuesday during the seventh annual capacity building workshop of the Association of Medical Councils of Africa in Abuja. He said the doctor-to-population ratio in Nigeria has dropped to 3.9 per 10,000, far below the global standard. He expressed concern that the mass migration of healthcare professionals, including nurses and midwives, is weakening the country’s health system, especially in underserved rural…

The Nigerian Communications Commission has directed major telecom operators—MTN, Glo, Airtel and 9mobile—to audit unclaimed airtime on inactive subscriber lines within 90 days. The directive was issued during a stakeholders’ forum held on Tuesday to address concerns over unutilised recharges and enhance consumer protection in the telecom sector. The NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Aminu Maida, represented by Executive Commissioner, Rimini Makama, said the move aimed to strike a balance between consumer rights and industry sustainability. “As the telecommunications industry continues to evolve, we must address emerging issues, including the fate of prepaid balances on inactive lines,” Maida said. According to…

Youths in the Ala Elefosan community of Akure North Local Government Area, Ondo State, on Tuesday stormed the office of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa with corpses of four farmers allegedly killed by suspected herdsmen. The gruesome killings occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at the popular Thirteen-Thirteen camp when the farmers were ambushed on their way to their farms. Enraged by the recurring attacks, residents—mostly youths—barricaded the major roundabout leading to the governor’s office in Alagbaka with the bodies of the victims placed in coffins. The community’s traditional ruler, Taiwo Samuel, who led the protest, lamented the government’s failure to…

A 400-level Economics student of the Federal University, Birnin Kebbi, Augustine Madubiya, has been abducted by suspected bandits during an early morning attack on an off-campus hostel in Kebbi State. The university’s Public Relations Officer, Jamilu Magaji, confirmed the incident, which occurred around 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday at Istijaba Villa in Unguwar Jeji, Kalgo Local Government Area. Magaji said five armed men stormed the area and accosted students sleeping outside their rooms. “They demanded money, but the students said they had none. During the confrontation, the armed men assaulted the students,” he explained. A local resident, Malam Siddi Hussaini, who…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday tendered key exhibits in the ongoing N3.08bn money laundering trial of Ali Bello, a nephew to former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and four others. The anti-graft agency presented its sixth prosecution witness, Femi Remigus, a compliance officer at Zenith Bank Plc, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja. Bello, who currently serves as the Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor Usman Dodo, is standing trial alongside Abba Daudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege, Iyada Sadat, and Rashida Bello (still at large). The EFCC had arraigned the defendants on…

Armed bandits have killed at least two persons and abducted over 60 others in a series of coordinated attacks across communities in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The attacks, which residents say are reprisals for the killing of some notorious warlords by security operatives, have left communities in fear and devastation. One of the slain bandit leaders, Kachalla Yellow, also known as Dan Isuhu, was reportedly killed during a botched ambush on Zamfara State Community Protection Guards in Keta about two weeks ago. He died alongside his nephew, the son of another notorious warlord, Adamu Aliero. Residents told…

Amidst the prolonged political tension in Rivers State, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has hosted a dinner for suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly currently on a legislative capacity-building tour in the United Kingdom. A video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, on Monday showed the former Rivers governor seated alongside the lawmakers during the dinner. According to Olayinka, the lawmakers, who belong to the pro-Wike faction of the state assembly, are in the UK as part of a five-day training tour focused on enhancing their legislative capabilities.…