Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Lagos State Government has intensified its crackdown on environmental violations, arresting no fewer than 931 persons for waste-related offences within one year of sustained enforcement operations across the state. The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Sunday during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, saying the state had significantly strengthened monitoring, enforcement and compliance activities to improve sanitation and environmental standards. According to him, enforcement teams carried out wide-ranging operations that led to the inspection of 2,251 sites, issuance of 1,711 contravention notices, and sealing of 239 premises found to have…

A former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 general elections, after a landslide victory in the party’s primary election held across the 33 local government areas of the state. Gbolarumi polled a total of 3,615 votes to defeat his sole challenger, Barrister Beulah Adeoye, who scored 22 votes in the exercise conducted on Sunday and supervised by party officials and security agencies. The Chairman of the PDP gubernatorial primary election in the state, Mr. Tolulope Awoniyi, announced the result on…

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a man identified as Qawiyu Oloyede for allegedly circulating a fabricated video of a bandit attack on social media, in what authorities say was an attempt to cause public panic and gain online attention. The suspect, a tailor who resides on Sokoto Road in Atan-Ota, was apprehended after the video, which falsely portrayed a bandit invasion, went viral across several social media platforms, triggering anxiety among residents. Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the footage was deliberately staged to mislead the public and create a false impression of insecurity in the state. In…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a 63-year-old Chinese woman, Ting Hung Kiong, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 31 kilograms of synthetic cannabis into Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The agency disclosed on Sunday that the suspect was apprehended on May 17, 2026, at the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the airport upon her arrival from Thailand via Dubai aboard an Emirates Airline flight. NDLEA operatives said the suspect, a Chinese national naturalised in Malaysia, was intercepted with two large suitcases containing “Canadian Loud,” a potent synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 31kg. Investigations revealed that she…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that Nigeria faces a high risk of Ebola Virus Disease importation amid worsening outbreaks in parts of Central and East Africa, triggering an immediate scale-up of national preparedness measures. The agency, in a public health advisory issued on Sunday by its Director-General, Jide Idris, however, clarified that no case of Ebola had been recorded in the country. It attributed the elevated risk to ongoing transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, coupled with increased international travel, cross-border movements, and the possibility of delayed detection due to symptom…

Some passengers abducted by suspected bandits along the Itobe–Ajegwu–Anyigba road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State have regained freedom after their captors reportedly fell asleep in the forest. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday when armed hoodlums ambushed two commercial buses conveying travellers along the route. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the assailants, numbering about 10, intercepted the vehicles—one of which bore Ebonyi registration number NKE 737 XA—before forcefully herding the passengers into the bush at gunpoint. A motorcycle rider was also reportedly abducted during the attack. A resident of the area, Ahiaba Michael, said local…

Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State for the 2027 general election, pledging that the poll would be “a must-win” for the opposition party. Adebutu, who flew the party’s flag in the 2023 election, was returned unopposed as a consensus candidate at the party’s governorship primary held in Abeokuta on Sunday. His emergence followed an affirmation process conducted across the 236 wards of the state, with delegates endorsing his candidacy ahead of the primary. Chairman of the Governorship Primary Panel, Chief Afolabi Ariyo, formally declared Adebutu winner through a voice…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday acknowledged the harsh impact of his administration’s economic reforms, saying the policies have taken a personal toll on him, just as they have on millions of Nigerians. Tinubu spoke in Abuja shortly after securing the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general elections, following a nationwide direct primary conducted across the country. Addressing party leaders, governors and supporters at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the President admitted that the sweeping reforms introduced under his government had been “gruelling,” but insisted they were necessary to stabilise an economy he…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has directed its departments nationwide to withhold regulatory services from 11 domestic airlines over unpaid debts, escalating concerns across Nigeria’s aviation sector. The directive, contained in an internal memo dated May 22, 2026, was signed by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Olufemi Odukoya, and circulated to all directorates, regional offices, and senior officials, including the Director-General of Civil Aviation. Under the “No-Pay-No-Service” order, affected airlines will be denied access to critical regulatory services until they settle their outstanding financial obligations to the authority. Airlines listed in the directive include Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik…

…Identifies Ungoverned Forests As Safe Havens For Armed Groups …Advocates State Police, Stronger Intelligence Coordination Daud Olatunji Nigeria is sliding into what experts have described as a “ransom-driven economy,” following revelations that the country recorded about 2.2 million kidnapping incidents within one year, with an estimated ₦2.2 trillion reportedly paid as ransom. A security expert and Acting Vice-Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, raised the alarm while delivering a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. Aremu, who cited data attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics and reported…