Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has cautioned against attempts to attribute Nigeria’s democratic journey to any single individual, insisting that the country’s democratic gains were achieved through the collective sacrifices of many unnamed heroes. Soyinka made the remarks at the NADECO Awards ceremony and the public presentation of a book chronicling the history of the pro-democracy struggle, authored by former NADECO General Secretary, Ayo Opadokun. According to him, Nigeria’s return to democratic rule was not the product of one personality but the outcome of coordinated resistance, personal sacrifices, and contributions from diverse actors whose roles may never be fully documented…

A Lagos school proprietor, Benson Arinze,has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Lagos State Sexual Offences andDomestic Violence Court for sexually assaulting a six-year-old pupil within hisschool premises in the lbeju-Lekki area of thestate. Justice Abiola Soladoye,who delivered the judgment at the lkeja division of the Lagos State Sexual Offences and DomesticViolence Court, found Arinze guilty of aone-count charge of sexual assault by penetration. Arinze, owner of Nurtured Brooks Nursery and Primary School, Ibeju-Lekki, was found guilty of a one-count charge of sexual assault by penetration. In her judgment, Justice Soladoye described the evidence presented by the defence as…

The Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has secured the conviction and sentencing of two former employees of Access Bank Plc over theft of customers’ funds, in a case that has raised fresh concerns about internal fraud in the banking sector. The convicts, Obadofin Daniel Bamise and Hadiza Oyiza Yakubu, were sentenced by Justice A.A. Bello of the Kaduna State High Court after they separately pleaded guilty to one-count charges bordering on theft. Court documents showed that the offences occurred between November 5, 2024 and January 23, 2025, while both defendants were still employees of the…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) has invited the Executive Chairman of the Osun State Universal Basic Education Board (Osun State Universal Basic Education Board), Ibukun Fadipe, for interrogation over alleged irregularities in the management of Federal Government counterpart funds and education intervention projects. In a letter dated May 19, 2026, and signed by the EFCC Director of Investigation, Abdulkarim Chukkol, the anti-graft agency directed Fadipe to appear before its investigators at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on May 26, 2026. The commission said the invitation is connected to ongoing investigations into the utilisation of…

…Says Viral Report Fake, Designed To Destabilise Country Ahead 2027 Polls The Presidency on Thursday dismissed a viral report alleging that President Bola Tinubu plans sweeping constitutional changes to rename Nigeria the “United States of Nigeria” and abolish Sharia law in the North, describing the claims as false, misleading, and politically motivated. In a statement, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the report was fabricated and deliberately circulated to stoke tension and undermine national stability ahead of the 2027 general elections. According to the Presidency, the claims—reportedly attributed to unnamed sources—form part of a wider disinformation campaign aimed at heating…

..Accuses Subsidy, Forex Profiteers of Sponsoring Instability … Insists Economy Is Stabilising Despite Coordinated Sabotage Attempts Daud Olatunji President Bola Tinubu has alleged that beneficiaries of the former fuel subsidy regime and foreign exchange allocation system are behind the recent surge in insecurity across the country, insisting that entrenched economic interests are sabotaging ongoing reforms. Tinubu, who spoke through former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, at the public presentation of The NADECO Story held at the MUSON Centre on Wednesday, said his administration’s economic policies had unsettled powerful interests who previously profited from subsidy fraud and forex round-tripping. Osoba,…

A viral video showing a Nigerian police officer identified as Newton Isokpehi threatening to shoot and kill anyone who records him while on duty has triggered widespread condemnation and renewed concerns over police conduct and accountability in the country. In the widely circulated clip on Wednesday, Isokpehi—who claimed to have served in the Nigeria Police Force for 26 years—issued violent warnings to members of the public, insisting that he would open fire on anyone who attempts to film him during operations. Speaking largely in Pidgin English, the officer was seen repeatedly cautioning civilians against recording him, while also directing anger…

The Islamic Training Organisation of Nigeria has petitioned the police and the Department of State Services in Lagos and Ogun states over what it described as a growing wave of online hate speech and cyberbullying targeted at Muslims. In separate petitions addressed to the Commissioners of Police and DSS directors in both states, the group called for urgent intervention to curb what it termed rising religious intolerance on social media. The organisation’s National Missioner, Sheikh Uwais Luqman Olanrewaju, said the move was triggered by recent online attacks against Nollywood actors Abdullateef Adedimeji and Adebimpe Oyebade following the birth of their…

A businessman, Abibu Yakubu, has approached an Upper Area Court in Karu, Abuja, seeking an order to compel his ex-wife, Shuwadatu Mohammed, to vacate his residence five years after their divorce. Yakubu, in a petition filed on October 13, 2025, also asked the court to grant him custody of their four children. The petitioner told the court that despite the dissolution of their marriage about five years ago, Mohammed had allegedly refused to leave his house, with both parties still residing at the same address in Orange Market area of Mararaba, Karu Local Government Area. He further alleged that his…

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Thursday nullified the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for political parties to submit their membership registers ahead of the 2027 general elections. Delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Youth Party, Justice M.G. Umar held that INEC lacked the legal authority to impose a timeline shorter than what is stipulated in the Electoral Act 2026. INEC had directed all registered political parties to submit comprehensive membership registers and databases by May 10 as a precondition for participation in the 2027 polls. However, the court ruled that the…