Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Authorities Suspect Abducted Minors Forced Into Militant Roles ….Residents Urge Urgent Military, Govt Intervention UNICEF data reveals over 1,100 children recruited in North-East Daud Olatunji Tension has gripped parts of Borno State following the circulation of a viral video allegedly showing a group of underage children dressed in military-style uniforms celebrating in a forest, raising fresh concerns about the possible recruitment of minors by armed groups in the North-East. The footage, which has been widely shared on social media, reportedly shows about 18 children clad in combat-like uniforms standing in a line while jubilating in what appears to be a…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by the Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, challenging a lower court’s decision to allow an amendment to a case seeking to bar him from contesting the 2028 governorship election. In a unanimous judgement delivered by a three-member panel of justices, the appellate court held that the appeal marked CA/ABJ/319/2025 lacked merit and consequently awarded N2 million cost against the governor. The judgement, read by Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, ruled that Aiyedatiwa failed to prove that the Federal High Court in Akure denied him fair hearing when it granted leave…

Residents of Ilu-Abo community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State were thrown into panic on Monday as suspected kidnappers invaded the area, abducted two persons and forced nearby schools to shut down. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the gunmen stormed the community around 10 a.m., firing sporadically into the air before abducting the Secretary of Okeluju Local Council Development Area in Akoko North-West Local Government Area, Joseph Kayode, and a woman identified as Esther Akinlolu. The attack reportedly occurred near a poultry farm along Kajola Road in Ilu-Abo, a community located close to the Akure Airport. Eyewitnesses said…

Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested four suspected kidnappers allegedly responsible for a series of abductions that yielded about ₦9 million in ransom across several communities in the state. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the suspects were apprehended by police operatives attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit, Emohua Annex, following intelligence gathered during the investigation into the abduction of a female victim in Ikwerre Local Government Area. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Port Harcourt. According to her, the suspects were arrested at about 5:20 a.m.…

The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a security alert warning of possible terrorist threats targeting its facilities and affiliated schools across the country. In an advisory published on Monday, the U.S. Mission in Abuja urged American citizens in Nigeria to heighten vigilance and take precautionary measures around U.S. government premises and institutions linked to the United States. The mission specifically warned of a potential threat against the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, and schools affiliated with the United States. According to the alert, U.S. citizens were advised to exercise heightened caution when travelling…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited recorded a sharp decline in its statutory remittances to the Federal Government in January 2026, dropping by 42.83 per cent to N726bn. This was disclosed in the company’s Monthly Report Summary for January 2026, released on Monday. Statutory payments are mandatory financial obligations the national oil firm remits to the Federal Government monthly. According to the report, the N726bn remitted in January represents a significant fall from the N1.27tn paid in December 2025. The report also showed that the company’s revenue plunged by 46.68 per cent to N2.57tn in January, compared to N4.82tn recorded…

A commanding officer of the Nigerian Army has been killed following a deadly attack by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province on a military formation in Kukawa, Borno State. Sources familiar with the incident said the insurgents stormed the military base, triggering a fierce gun battle between the troops and the attackers. Security sources quoted by a counter-insurgency publication covering the Lake Chad region disclosed that the clash resulted in casualties on both sides as soldiers engaged the insurgents in a prolonged firefight. According to the report, blood stains were discovered outside the camp after the attack,…

The Apena of Egbaland, Chief Suarau Olayiwola Alani Bankole, has dismissed widespread claims that the Ogboni institution is an occult society, explaining that it is historically a traditional council of elders responsible for governance in the Yoruba traditional administrative system. Chief Bankole, who is also the Grand Patron of the Ogun State chapter of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria, made the clarification on Monday while receiving the newly inaugurated executive committee of Ogun FIBAN at his Onikolobo residence in Abeokuta. According to him, the misconception surrounding the Ogboni institution stems from years of misinterpretation of the Yoruba…

Aishah Waliyullah and Grace Adeleke Nigerians have taken to social media to express anger, disbelief and cautious defence following reports that the Dangote Refinery has increased the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to about ₦1,175 per litre. The development, which surfaced online over the weekend, triggered widespread debate among citizens who fear the increase could worsen the already rising cost of living across the country. Many Nigerians said they had expected the refinery—widely regarded as Africa’s largest—to help bring down fuel prices and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported refined petroleum products. Reacting to the development, several social media…

Fawaz Adebisi A federal appellate court has upheld the conviction and prison sentence of a retired Nigerian Army general, Umar Mohammed. Umar was found guilty of stealing and misappropriating hundreds of millions of naira and millions of dollars belonging to a military-owned property company. The Court of Appeal, on Monday, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel comprising Justices Abba Mohammed, Okon Abang, and Eberechi Nyesom, dismissed the appeal filed by Maj.-Gen. Mohammed, former Group Managing Director of Nigerian Army Properties Limited, NAPL, affirming both his conviction and the sentence handed down by a Special Court Martial in 2023.…