Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Fawaz Adebisi The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed reports suggesting that Vice President Kashim Shettima may be replaced as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate ahead of the 2027 general election, describing the claims as “untrue, baseless and purely speculative.” The party made this known in a press statement issued on Monday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, following what it described as a growing media frenzy and the circulation of names of alleged potential replacements for the vice president. “Our Party states in categorical terms that the stories are purely speculative, untrue and utterly baseless,” the statement read.…

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has announced plans to strengthen its collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enhance asset recovery, debt collection and the prosecution of individuals linked to bank failures. The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the NDIC, Mr Thompson Sunday, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the management of the Corporation to the EFCC Chairman, Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Sunday said closer cooperation with the EFCC had become critical as the NDIC intensifies efforts to recover assets of failed banks and settle uninsured depositors, noting that…

…Brigadier-General, Others Face Possible Dismissal …Defence Intelligence Confirms Threat To Democracy The Nigerian military has confirmed that an alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was real, indicting 16 officers following a comprehensive investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Daily Trust reports . Credible security and Presidency sources disclosed on Monday that the final report of the probe has been submitted to the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and is awaiting approval for disciplinary actions, including possible court-martial. A senior security source said the indicted officers, who range in rank from Captain…

The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has thrown its weight behind the ongoing strike by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), warning that Nigeria is edging closer to a healthcare disaster due to the Federal Government’s “deliberate and insensitive neglect” of health workers’ welfare. In a statement issued on Sunday, the forum endorsed the 14-day ultimatum issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to the Federal Ministry of Health, describing the labour centres’ intervention as “long overdue.” The statement, signed by Comrade Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator of the FWF and former TUC Chairman in Oyo…

The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has signalled a major crackdown on tax defaulters, announcing that it will leverage a new legal framework to recover unpaid taxes from non-compliant individuals and businesses through third parties, including banks, employers, tenants, and other agents. In a public notice issued on Saturday, LIRS cited Section 60 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025, which grants it the “power of substitution” to collect outstanding tax liabilities. “The NTAA 2025 empowers LIRS to direct any person holding money on behalf of, or owing money to, a taxpayer who has failed to pay…

In a major intelligence-led operation, Oyo State police operatives intercepted a truck carrying 40 bags of explosives in the Sango area of Saki, averting a potential security disaster. The truck, a DAF vehicle with registration number Ogun SGM 765 XB, was seized late Friday night at about 11:10 p.m., officials said. The driver, Mutairu Yusuf, 30, a resident of Atiru Compound, Chikanda in Kwara State, was immediately arrested following the discovery. Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosives had been loaded in Ibadan and were allegedly being transported to Chikanda, a strategic border town in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) to court over the alleged mismanagement or diversion of N128 billion from public coffers. Kolawole Oluwadare, Deputy Director of SERAP, disclosed on Sunday that the civil society group filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026. The lawsuit seeks an order of mandamus compelling the defendants to fully account for the missing funds. According to SERAP, the allegations are detailed in the latest annual report of the Auditor-General, released…

Two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun I Area Command, were critically injured on Thursday after armed men suspected to be drug traffickers attacked a patrol team during an anti-smuggling operation in Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the officers were acting on credible intelligence when they intercepted a 12-tyre truck believed to be conveying a large haul of illicit drugs and other prohibited items at Akokoro area of Iwoye around 4pm. Before reinforcements could arrive, the suspects reportedly mobilised armed hoodlums who launched a coordinated assault on the operatives. In a statement…

Rescue officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Tuesday saved a motorist suspected to be drunk after his vehicle rammed into a moving truck along the Ebute-Ero inward NEPA axis, Apongbon, Lagos, leaving him critically trapped. Preliminary findings by LASTMA indicated that the male driver, who was behind the wheel of a Honda Jeep with registration number FKJ 562 JF, was allegedly driving at an excessive speed while descending the bridge when he lost control and crashed into the rear of a Scania truck. The impact of the collision crushed the vehicle, trapping the driver and triggering…

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has blamed the worsening wave of banditry, kidnapping and terrorism across Nigeria on sabotage by powerful interests, entrenched corruption and the influence of shadowy cabals within and outside government. In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, the group said the persistence of insecurity despite huge budgetary allocations to defence and internal security showed that “forces working against national stability” were deliberately frustrating genuine reform efforts. Afenifere lamented that initiatives aimed at improving electricity supply, water provision, agriculture, education, the economy and national security had repeatedly collapsed because of…