Author: Platform Times Newspaper

At least 32 Nigerians have been deported from India following a sweeping investigation into what authorities described as one of the country’s largest transnational drug trafficking and money-laundering networks. The deportations came after a series of coordinated raids late November by the Delhi Police in partnership with Telangana Police’s EAGLE unit, leading to the arrest of 50 Nigerian nationals believed to be part of a sprawling narcotics syndicate operating across several Indian cities. Indian security operatives said the network used courier and logistics companies as cover to ship illicit substances from Delhi to various parts of the country. A senior…

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed widespread assumptions that ministers under former President Muhammadu Buhari amassed significant wealth, insisting that his monthly earnings in office were only N860,000, including allowances. Mohammed made the disclosure while reflecting on his experience in Buhari’s cabinet and addressing persistent public criticisms, particularly claims that he benefitted unduly from political office. “People talk about benefits from office and I laugh. In my time, no minister earned up to N900,000 a month,” he said. “My total earnings were N860,000, including feeding and housing allowances.” The former minister said many Nigerians incorrectly assume…

In a decisive escalation of Nigeria’s security response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday directed the country’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to immediately begin the training, arming, and nationwide deployment of forest guards to tackle the wave of kidnapping, banditry and terror attacks ravaging the nation. The presidential order — disclosed in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare — underscores the federal government’s view that existing security architecture has failed to stem “rampant” criminal activities, especially in remote forest reserves long exploited as hideouts by armed gangs. > “We face challenges here and…

The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned a former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah, before an Abuja High Court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal breach of trust involving N2.4 billion. Oduah was arraigned alongside her co-defendant, Gloria Odita, over allegations that they conspired in January 2014 to siphon N2,469,030,738.90 from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through two companies — Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Ltd and Global Offshore Marine Ltd — under false claims. According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly “agreed amongst themselves to obtain a sum of ₦2,469,030,738.90 by false…

The Women Child Youth Health and Education Initiative (WCY), with support from the Malala Education Champion Network, has unveiled a new intervention aimed at enrolling adolescent mothers back into school across Bauchi State. Speaking at a one-day planning and inception meeting with education stakeholders on Wednesday, the Executive Director of WCY, Rashida Mukaddas, said the Adolescent Mothers Education Access (AMEA) project would run for three years and be implemented in three local government areas—Bauchi, Misau and Katagum. Mukaddas said the initiative seeks to break long-standing barriers preventing married girls, pregnant adolescents and young mothers from continuing their education. “Today marks…

The Director of Bee Solutions and Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu, has described education  as the most reliable pathway out of poverty and a powerful social equaliser capable of opening doors many never imagined. Prof. Opeolu said this at the official inauguration of the Simbiat Olatunde Ibrahim Education for All Foundation in Imashayi, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Director  said the foundation was established to promote the enduring values and legacies of her late parents, noting that its interventions would focus on education support, youth empowerment, and programmes targeted at vulnerable women across…

A Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has sentenced a police sergeant, Ruya Auta, to death by hanging for the killing of a University of Jos student, Rinji Bala, during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Delivering judgment on Tuesday, the Chief Judge of Plateau State, Justice David Mann, held that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the officer “deliberately and unlawfully” took the life of the 300-level student. Rinji, fondly called “Codex” by friends, was arrested alongside two others on May 12, 2020, around the Hwolshe area of Jos during the enforcement of the lockdown. Despite finding…

By: Bolaji Adeniji It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say”; this means that, the true essence of any man is validated by their actions and not by mere words; for consistent deeds builds trust and it is a core principle in leadership and personal integrity. It is within the purview of this description that one can define the senator representing Ogun West district, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (YAYI), who symbolizes a political philosophy that combines knowledge, pragmatism, compassion, empathy, vision, character and action. With over 22…

The Kogi State Government has uncovered what it described as a suspected child-trafficking and criminal-recruitment operation after operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps intercepted a truck conveying 21 underage children into the state. The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement on Tuesday, said the children—aged between six and 17—were rescued by NSCDC personnel attached to the Yagba Area Command following credible intelligence from community hunters. Fanwo said the interception occurred at about 3:00 pm on December 5, 2025, when operatives halted a suspicious truck entering Isanlu. According to him, several adults found with…

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has disclosed that he officially joined the Accord Party a month ago, describing the move as a strategic step to consolidate his welfare-driven governance and seek re-election in 2026. The governor’s position was made public through a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Tuesday, following a formal announcement at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, Osogbo. The event also marked his declaration to contest for a second term on the platform of the Accord Party. Adeleke explained that his decision followed weeks of consultation with stakeholders, community leaders, and political opinion shapers…