Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The recent protest staged by some youths in Ilara Kingdom, Epe Division of Lagos State, has stirred outrage across the community, with traditional and civic leaders describing the act as “sacrilegious, unprovoked, and anti-development.” The demonstration, which took place on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, saw a group of youths — alleged to have been sponsored — marching through the streets of the ancient town, chanting inflammatory songs and accusing the Alara of Ilara Kingdom, Oba (Dr.) Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, Telade IV, of neglecting his traditional and community responsibilities. Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the protesters went as far as placing…

The Anambra State Police Command has announced a complete restriction on all vehicular movement within and outside the state during Saturday’s governorship election. Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the ban will take effect from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., covering every road across the state, including interstate highways. According to SP Ikenga, the move follows a unanimous decision by Security Service Commanders at a November 5 meeting held at the Police State Headquarters in Awka. “The restriction aims to prevent political thugs and criminal elements from disrupting the electoral process,” he…

An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced Samuel Asiegbu to three years in prison without the option of a fine for his role in an ₦8.56 billion fraud perpetrated against Wema Bank Plc. According to a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the sentence after Asiegbu pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, stealing, and unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to commit fraud. The EFCC said Asiegbu was initially arraigned alongside other defendants on a four-count charge on June 23, 2025, all of whom pleaded not guilty.…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday described his ascent from deputy governor to the presidency as “nothing short of a political miracle,” attributing his rise to divine intervention. Jonathan made the remarks at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, during the presentation of books authored by journalist and former presidential spokesperson, Dr. Reuben Abati. He said, “My political journey looked like a political miracle. From deputy governor to becoming president of this country within four years — it was a miracle. It’s only God that made it possible.” Jonathan commended Abati for his intellectual depth and for documenting…

Russia has said it is closely monitoring developments following reports that the United States may be considering military intervention in Nigeria. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, disclosed this during a press briefing in Moscow on Friday, in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement that he had directed the Pentagon to draw up military options to “protect Christian communities” in Nigeria. Zakharova cautioned Washington against any unilateral action, urging the U.S. to adhere strictly to international law in addressing security concerns in the West African nation. “We are closely monitoring this issue and call on all parties…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted a popular Lagos socialite, Fayisara Ajoke Opaleye, widely known as Iya Ruka, and her driver, Abideen Adio, for trafficking and transporting 1,540 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, also known as marijuana. The duo were found guilty by Justice Musa Kakaki on Friday after they pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The NDLEA had initially arraigned the 61-year-old businesswoman and her 41-year-old driver in May on a three-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful possession, and trafficking in prohibited substances. They both pleaded…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned the sum of N42.5 million to Mrs. Margret Taye Odofin, a 70-year-old widow and retiree, who was defrauded by her bank’s investment officer, Mrs. Kehinde Olawale Yusuf, in Kaduna. The refund, made via a bank draft, was formally presented to Mrs. Odofin on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the EFCC Kaduna Zonal Directorate by Acting Director Bawa Kaltungo, on behalf of the Commission’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede. According to EFCC investigators, Mrs. Odofin had in December 2024 petitioned the Commission after discovering that her account officer at a new-generation bank,…

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid growing international pressure following the United States’ renewed designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” The meeting, described as “crucial,” was held in the President’s office at Aso Rock. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, accompanied the Sultan to the meeting, which sources said formed part of Tinubu’s ongoing consultations with religious and traditional leaders across the country. It came just days after the President held a similar closed-door meeting with the Catholic…

Suspected bandits on Friday evening opened fire on a bus conveying members of the National Congress of Evangelisation, Operation Good News from Oyo State along the Eruku–Obbo Ile axis of Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the team was on its way to Shagbe, a village in Ifelodun Local Government Area, when the gunmen emerged from the bush and shot sporadically at the vehicle. A source who witnessed the attack said the gunmen appeared from both sides of the road, forcing the driver to swerve dangerously as bullets riddled the bus. “One of the passengers was…

The Ogun State Police Command has smashed a notorious Cameroonian kidnap syndicate that lured unsuspecting victims into Nigeria under the guise of processing foreign visas. The anti-kidnapping unit of the command arrested two members of the gang, identified as Ndzana Kamga Isidore and Tingue Stephen, during a sting operation in the Mowe area along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Friday, saying the gang’s leader, identified simply as Donald, is currently on the run. Odutola explained that the operation followed a distress call from a Cameroonian woman, Kengne Maeva, who…