Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, has called on old students of public schools across the state to intensify support for their alma maters as Yewa (Egbado) College, Ilaro, marked its 75th anniversary with a high-profile fundraising ceremony in Lagos. Arigbabu, who spoke at the event organised by the Yewa (Egbado) College Old Students’ Association (YECOSA), described alumni intervention as critical to restoring infrastructure, improving learning outcomes and complementing government efforts in the education sector. The anniversary celebration, held at Eko Hotel and Towers, Victoria Island, attracted prominent Nigerians, including Senator Iyabode Anisulowo; Nigeria’s…

Aishah  Waliyullah No fewer than 10 inmates at the Old Abeokuta Custodial Centre, Ibara, Ogun State, have gained free admission into the Yewa Central College of Education, marking a major boost to rehabilitation efforts within the Nigerian Correctional Service. The beneficiaries — seven males and three females — were matriculated on Friday into various programmes, including English Language/Social Studies, Economics/Social Studies, Political Science/Social Studies, Business Education, Physical and Health Education, Economics/Political Science and Economics/Computer Science. Speaking at the matriculation ceremony held inside the correctional facility, the Provost of the college, Dr Mary Bamgbose, urged the inmates to embrace discipline and…

A police investigation has formally indicted Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for allegedly making false claims that Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his wife were involved in the murder of late Iniobong Umoren and the harvesting of her organs. The report, dated 3 February 2026 and signed by Commissioner of Police Akin Fakorede, was issued to Sandra Duru, President of The Unique Family Foundation, who petitioned the Inspector-General of Police in April 2025. According to the petition, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan allegedly called Ms Duru on 27 March 2025, claiming that Mr Akpabio and his wife were responsible for Ms Umoren’s death.…

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has launched an investigation after a young woman allegedly made away with a man’s car, mobile phones, and laptop from a hotel in the Asokoro district of Abuja. The incident reportedly occurred on Thursday when the man and the woman, identified as Precious Chinyere, checked into the hotel for a short stay. According to the victim, events took a dramatic turn when he discovered that Chinyere had quietly left the room without his knowledge, taking with her several of his personal belongings. “The woman left suddenly, and I discovered my car, phones, and laptop…

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 40-year-old woman, Nafisat Lateef, for allegedly poisoning a three-year-old boy, the child of her tenant, at Omifon community in Odigbo Local Government Area. DSP Abayomi Jimoh, the state police spokesperson, disclosed the arrest on Friday, saying the incident occurred following a dispute between the suspect and the child’s mother, Rofiat. Jimoh said the suspect reportedly gave the child a liquid substance suspected to be poisonous on Tuesday morning. “The incident occurred on Tuesday, 4th February 2026, at about 8:30 am, when the suspect allegedly gave the victim, Abdulrasheed, a liquid substance suspected…

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General (retd.) Nuhu Ribadu, has issued a stern warning to political actors against engaging in vote-buying and election-related violence ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council poll and the upcoming by-elections in Rivers and Kano States. Speaking at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Friday, Ribadu said any individual or group involved in such activities would be traced and brought to justice before, during, and after the elections. Represented by Hassan Abdullahi, the Director of Internal Security in…

The Lagos State House of Assembly has earmarked N55.4 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction of permanent residential quarters for lawmakers and the beautification of its legislative complex, documents obtained by Platform Times have revealed. A breakdown of the budget shows that N35.4 billion is allocated for “construction of Permanent Legislative Quarters for Honourable Members of the Assembly, processing of documents, architectural drawings, structural engineering, soil testing, pile work, and consultancy services.” An additional N20 billion has been set aside for the construction of new fences, drainage channels, covering of gutters with slabs, landscaping, and overall beautification of…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hosted Hajiya Aisha Buhari, widow of late President Muhammadu Buhari, along with her daughter Hanan and other family members, in Saudi Arabia. The meeting, disclosed by Atiku on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, took place during both families’ pilgrimage to perform the lesser hajj, Umrah. “I was honoured to host Hajiya Aisha Buhari, her daughter Hanan, and other family members during their visit to me in Saudi Arabia,” Atiku wrote, noting that the interaction was centered on religious observance rather than politics. The trip marks Mrs Buhari’s first known visit to…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has demanded that the Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena, immediately reassign the appeal of detained Enugu South I State Constituency lawmaker, Bright Ngene, warning that continued inaction will trigger a boycott of the Chief Judge’s court. The NBA, in a statement delivered on Friday by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), at the 17th Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture in Enugu, said the appeal has been stalled due to the refusal of three Enugu State High Court judges to hear the matter, citing alleged interference. Ngene, a Labour Party lawmaker, has been described by…

Bayo Ojulari, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has attributed the longstanding dysfunction of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries to an overemphasis on financing and contracting rather than operational management. Speaking at the Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES), Ojulari said decades of focusing on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts and external financing left NNPC ill-prepared to operate the refineries effectively. “The reason our refineries have not worked is that we are focused on the first two: EPC and financing,” Ojulari said. “The EPC contractors do their work, get paid, and move on. The financiers also operate…