Author: Platform Times Newspaper

… Ijebu State, Revival of Olokola Free Trade Zone tied To controversial choice …N1bn Allegedly Dangled To Sway Decision …Claims Of Interference In Awujale Selection Mischievous — Ogun Govt Daud Olatunji The long-awaited succession to the Awujale throne of Ijebuland nearly plunged into political crisis last week after Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, reportedly attempted to influence the council of nine kingmakers to endorse a preferred candidate — only to be firmly rebuffed. Investigations by PLATFORM TIMES indicate that Hon. Ademorin Kuye, a House of Representatives member from Shomolu Federal constituency, Lagos, was allegedly Governor Abiodun’s choice, a move…

Survivors of the mass abduction of Christian worshippers in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have narrated chilling accounts of how heavily armed bandits stormed three churches during Sunday service, brutalised congregants and forced 166 people into the forest at gunpoint. The attack, which occurred around 10am, targeted Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Churches I and II, as well as the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) church. According to community sources, 177 worshippers were initially seized, but 11 later escaped, many with injuries, leaving 166 – including women, children, pregnant mothers and the elderly – in captivity.…

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, led by its 2023 governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, on Friday hosted Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as party leaders rallied supporters and declared the PDP fully prepared to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections. The Southwest stakeholders’ meeting, held at the Ake Palace Grounds, drew National Assembly members, state lawmakers, former legislators and party leaders from across the region, in what party officials described as a major mobilisation drive to reclaim Ogun State. Addressing the gathering, Adebutu dismissed claims that the…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned that Nigeria is sinking deeper into a cycle of violence, denial and systemic hypocrisy, describing the country’s worsening insecurity as a “theatre of lies” sustained by broken trust between citizens and the state. Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Friday, the cleric said Nigeria’s crisis was not rooted in religion but in governance failure, moral collapse and elite compromise, which have normalised what he called the nation’s “collective humiliation”. Kukah said, “Religion comes before politics. The pulpit…

The Oyo State Fire Services Agency recorded 246 fire incidents across the state in 2025, rescuing 42 people and recovering 30 bodies, in what officials described as a troubling reminder of rising safety risks and the urgent need for stronger emergency response systems. Chairman of the agency and Special Adviser on Fire Reform to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr Maroof Akinwande, disclosed the figures in Ibadan on Thursday, saying the scale of incidents underscored the growing threat of fire disasters to lives, property and the environment. According to him, January recorded the highest number of outbreaks with 29 cases, followed by…

The House of Representatives minority caucus has accused the executive branch of illegally altering key tax laws, warning that the discrepancies undermine the legislature’s constitutional authority. In a statement on Friday, Afam Ogene, chairman of the seven-member committee investigating the matter, said a review of the gazetted tax laws revealed multiple conflicting versions in circulation. “The directive from the leadership of both chambers to the Clerk of the National Assembly to ‘align’ the Acts with the official printing press is a clear indication that procedural anomalies occurred in the previously gazetted versions,” Ogene said. The committee, formed on January 2…

The Presidency has reversed an earlier announcement on the posting of a Nigerian ambassador to Turkey, saying no appointment has been finalised and that the process remains under review. In a corrected statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said only three ambassador-designates have so far been approved out of the 68 nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate. According to the statement, Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been posted to France, while Col. Lateef Are (retd.) was approved as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the United States. Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu, a…

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has stirred global debate after claiming that studying medicine may soon be unnecessary, as humanoid robots are set to outperform human surgeons within the next few years. Speaking on the Moonshots podcast hosted by Peter Diamandis, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive said advances in artificial intelligence and robotics would soon make machines better, faster and more accurate than even the world’s best surgeons. “Right now, there’s a shortage of doctors and great surgeons,” Musk said. “It takes a super long time to train them. Doctors have limited time, they make mistakes. How many great surgeons…

The founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, has raised the alarm over the growing infiltration of fraudsters into churches, warning worshippers to exercise caution as scammers increasingly impersonate religious leaders to extort money. Oyedepo disclosed this during a midweek service, where he recounted how an individual recently posed as him and contacted one of his associates with a request for funds. According to the cleric, the suspect was exposed when his assistant handed the call to the supposed victim, who quickly realised the deception. “We had an experience some time back when someone was claiming to be…

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Bauchi State Command, has intercepted a truck conveying vandalised railway tracks and arrested five suspects in a major operation against infrastructure sabotage. The corps’ spokesperson, ASC Saminu Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, saying the suspects were apprehended during a routine patrol along a major highway in the state. Yusuf said the truck was found loaded with large quantities of railway materials suspected to have been removed from operational rail lines, posing a serious threat to public safety and national infrastructure. He described the arrest as a significant breakthrough…