Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji Nigeria has moved up to the sixth position in the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025, signaling a worsening security crisis as 565 people were repeatedly killed in terrorism-related attacks in 2024. The Institute for Economics & Peace, which compiles the annual index, reported that Nigeria’s score of 7.658 reflects an increase in fatalities over the past two years. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the country previously ranked eighth in 2023 and 2024 but now sits among the top six most terror-affected nations globally, following Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Syria, Mali, and Niger. PLATFORM TIMES further reports that, despite previous…

Six senior officers have been compulsorily retired, with an additional two officers demoted before their retirement, according to a wireless message dated March 4, 2025, obtained by our correspondent. Among those affected by the directive is former Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory, Bennett Igweh, who had recently been promoted to Assistant Inspector General and assigned to head Zone 7 Police Headquarters in Abuja. Igweh was demoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police before being retired, effective May 1, 2023. Similarly, Deputy Commissioner of Police Simon Lough was demoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police before his retirement,…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a cache of weapons concealed at the Ogbo Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State. The discovery was made during a targeted operation on the drug sections of the market, part of NAFDAC’s ongoing efforts to combat the proliferation of counterfeit pharmaceuticals across the country. Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Martins Iluyomade, NAFDAC’s south-east zonal director, disclosed that the agency’s enforcement team encountered rifles, live cartridges, and other dangerous weapons carefully hidden by unidentified individuals. This alarming find, according to Iluyomade, was reportedly intended to thwart NAFDAC’s…

The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna has confirmed the death of its priest, Rev. Fr Sylvester Okechukwu, just a day after he was kidnapped. The late Okechukwu was the pastor of St Mary Catholic Church, Tachira, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A statement signed by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Rev.Fr. Jacob Shanet, said Mr Okechukwu was killed in the early hours of Wednesday after he was kidnapped from his residence on Tuesday night. “After being taken by his abductors, we regret to inform you that Fr Sylvester was cruelly killed in the early hours of Wednesday,…

Gunmen unleashed chaos on the youths in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Wednesday. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the youths had congregated at a roundabout to express their support for Governor Siminalayi Fubara when the assailants struck, escalating political tensions in the oil-rich region. According to eyewitness reports obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria, the attack was allegedly carried out by a senior local vigilante commander known as ‘Fucking Naira,’ purportedly acting on behalf of a factional leader of a prominent political party in the state. The commander reportedly appeared suddenly and opened fire on…

Tragedy struck at the Kara Cattle Market along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Isheri Olofin, Ogun State, on Monday, as an 80-year-old trader, Ladan Bature, was fatally stabbed during an argument. The suspect, identified as Haiye Aginni, has been arrested by the police in connection with the incident. Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, stated that the suspect allegedly stabbed Bature in front of the Kara Market mosque. Despite frantic efforts by traders and residents to save him, he was pronounced dead at the hospital. “Following the report to the Ojodu Abiodun Police Division,…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a stark warning following the confirmation of 506 cases of Lassa fever across Nigeria, with the disease claiming the lives of 95 individuals as of February 23, 2025. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the disease has spread to 12 states and 70 local government areas in the country. According to the NCDC’s latest situation report for week eight of 2025, the Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) stands at 18.8%, consistent with figures from the previous year. The confirmed cases have been predominantly reported in Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, Ebonyi, and several…

Daud Olatunji Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed displeasure over the name “Matthew” given to him by his parents, describing it as the name of a tax collector. He argued that Africans must decolonise their names as part of efforts to break free from the lingering effects of slavery, slave trade, and colonialism. Obasanjo, however, maintained his optimism about Nigeria, declaring that the country would attain greatness in his lifetime despite its current challenges. He made these remarks on Wednesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during a public lecture and book presentation to commemorate his 88th birthday. The event featured the…

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested a former immigration officer attempting to sell sophisticated firearms to bandits operating in the Abuja-Kaduna forests. The dismissed officer, whose identity was not disclosed, was nabbed following an intelligence-led operation by the FCT Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit, preventing the arms from reaching criminal elements. Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the Officer in Charge of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Mustafa Mohammed, said the operation was a significant breakthrough in disrupting the supply of illegal weapons to terrorists and kidnappers. “Acting on intelligence, the command intercepted these guns from a dismissed immigration officer attempting…

An Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court has adjourned the case against controversial musician Habeeb Okikiola a.k.a Portable, to March 26 to enable the prosecution merge his charges with those of his workers. When the case against the artist resumed on Wednesday after his earlier arraignment on February 20, the prosecution told the court that it would be a waste of time for the court to hear the case of Portable and that of his workers separately. Senior State Counsel, Timileyin Oredein, told the court that the musician’s case had a sister case, which needed to be merged before trial begins. Mr Oredein…