Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a suspected major drug courier alleged to be supplying hard drugs to Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters across the North-East. The suspect, 45-year-old Zubairu Muhammad, was apprehended at about 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday by soldiers of the 232 Battalion (Tactical), Uba, in Adamawa State. Military sources  said that Muhammad had long been on the radar of security agencies for allegedly running a drug distribution network that serviced terrorists operating through the Askira-Uba, Chibok, Michika and Damboa corridors. During the arrest, troops reportedly recovered 14 blocks of cannabis sativa…

President Bola Tinubu has renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General (rtd) Mohammed Buba Marwa as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term, extending his leadership until 2031. Marwa, an Adamawa State indigene, first assumed the position in January 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse between 2018 and 2020. The reappointment, announced on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, comes as a vote of confidence in Marwa’s leadership and the agency’s achievements…

The Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN) has raised fresh concerns over the collapse of Nigeria’s bakery industry, revealing that more than 60,000 bakeries have shut down in the last four years due to escalating production costs, harsh loans, and worsening insecurity. PBAN President, Engr. Onuorah Emmanuel, disclosed this in Lagos during the 2025 PBAN Day Out with the theme “The Business of Baking: Pathways to Profit, Productivity and Growth.” He warned that Nigeria risks deeper food inflation and job losses if the government fails to urgently stabilise the business environment. According to him, the industry has shrunk drastically from…

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, on Friday vowed that the Nigerian Air Force would intensify strikes against insurgents, terrorists and bandits threatening the security and sovereignty of the country. Aneke issued the warning during an operational visit to the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA (OPFY) Sector II at the 213 Forward Operating Base, Katsina State. The visit was disclosed in a statement signed by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. Aneke said the Air Force would not back down until all violent groups undermining Nigeria’s peace were neutralised.…

The Peoples Democratic Party has declared that its national convention scheduled for Saturday in Ibadan will proceed as planned, insisting that the exercise is “sacrosanct” despite a subsisting court order seeking to halt it. Chairman of the 2025 National Convention Organising Committee and Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, made the declaration on Friday after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held at the Bauchi Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja. Fintiri, who briefed journalists at the end of the meeting, said the party had resolved to go ahead with preparations, stressing that no legal distractions would stop the convention. “We’ve just come out…

The Nigerian Red Cross Society has raised a fresh alarm that no fewer than 33 million Nigerians may be pushed into acute hunger and malnutrition in 2026 unless urgent interventions are implemented. Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr. Abubakar Kende, issued the warning on Friday in Abuja during the unveiling of the Red Cross Nutrition Advocacy Plan, a new framework aimed at intensifying national efforts against food insecurity. Kende said worsening economic hardship, climate-induced food shortages, and rising insecurity across food-producing regions were deepening the risk of hunger for millions. He stressed that coordinated action from government, humanitarian agencies and private-sector…

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) on Friday declared an indefinite nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of refusing to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) more than 12 years after negotiations began. The JOHESU National Chairman, Kabiru Minjibir, announced the decision in Abuja after the union’s Expanded National Executive Council meeting, saying affiliate unions in all federal health institutions had been directed to withdraw their services from 12 midnight, Friday. Minjibir said repeated engagements with the government since 2014—including conciliation meetings, signed memoranda and assurances from top officials—failed to produce meaningful action. According to him, the government’s…

Nollywood actor Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has reportedly regained his freedom after spending more than three years behind bars for the sexual assault of a minor. The development was disclosed on Friday by fellow actor and long-time associate, Yomi Fabiyi, who announced the release in a post on Instagram. Fabiyi claimed that an appeal court had overturned the embattled actor’s conviction, clearing him of allegations of defiling a minor. “You are now officially free and out,” Fabiyi wrote. “I am also happy you were cleared by the appeal court of ever having sex with or defiling any…

The Department of State Services has rearrested Abdulazeez Obadaki, a wanted member of the Ansaru terror group and one of the over 800 inmates who escaped during the July 2022 attack on the Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in Abuja. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Obadaki, described by security sources as a “high-value terror operative,” was apprehended during a Friday morning operation. He had been on the run for more than three years. Obadaki was linked to major terror-related crimes before his escape, including coordinated bank attacks in Uromi, Edo State, and the fatal shooting at Deeper Life College, Okene, Kogi…

Obiano, who broke his silence in a post on his Facebook page, assured the public that he was alive and in good health. “My beloved Ndi Anambra, friends, and well-wishers, I woke to hear of a rumour making the rounds about my wellbeing,” he wrote. “Let me assure you personally: I am alive, hale, hearty, and in excellent health. By the special grace of God, I am doing very well.” He expressed concern over the increasing trend of individuals spreading unfounded stories, saying such actions were unnecessary and harmful. “It is unfortunate that some individuals still find joy in spreading…