Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, on Thursday deepened its commitment to hands-on entrepreneurship training with the commissioning of a block-making industry, a 5KVA solar power system, and a multi-point Wi-Fi installation— all designed and executed by students of the institution. The projects, undertaken under the institution’s Special Practical Entrepreneurship Projects (SPEPs), were showcased at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (MAPCED) and supervised by the Entrepreneurship Directorate with technical input from industry professionals, many of whom are MAPOLY alumni. Governing Council Chairman, Emeritus Prof. Kamaldeen Balogun, who led the commissioning, said the institution had demonstrated that polytechnics remain critical to Nigeria’s…

A Catholic priest on Thursday relived the horror of the June 5, 2022 massacre at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, telling a Federal High Court in Abuja that the explosives deployed by the attackers shook the sanctuary so violently “it felt like the ground was opening to swallow us.” The priest, whose identity was concealed for security reasons, testified in the ongoing trial of five men accused of executing the deadly attack that killed more than 40 worshippers and injured over 100 others. The defendants ;  Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar —…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded the first phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in Ogun State and announced the commencement of the mandatory display of the voters’ register for public scrutiny. In a statement signed by the Ogun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Feyijimi Saseyi, the Commission said the first phase of the CVR exercise officially ended on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, after months of online and physical registration across the state. In line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC will display the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections from Monday, December 15…

… NEITI warns Nigeria lost $3.3bn To Crude Theft In One Year … CAC Reveals Vessel’s Managing Firm Is Inactive With No Contacts Daud Olatunji Nigeria’s maritime and regulatory systems have again come under intense global scrutiny after the United States Navy and Coast Guard arrested a Nigerian-linked supertanker, Skipper, over allegations of large-scale crude oil theft, drug trafficking, piracy, and connections to an international crime network. The Skipper, a 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with IMO number 9304667, was intercepted in an operation publicly confirmed by US President Donald Trump. Preliminary investigations show the vessel was being operated…

Former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, is set for arraignment on Friday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) files an eight-count charge against him. The commission accused  him of awarding multi-billion-naira contracts to cronies and companies linked to him during his eight-year oversight of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). The former Anambra State governor, who was arrested in Abuja on Wednesday night, has remained in EFCC custody ahead of his court appearance at the FCT High Court, Gwarinpa. The charge dated October 31, and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Sylvanus Tahir alongside…

The Federal Government has confirmed that Nigerian military personnel remain in Burkina Faso days after a Nigerian Air Force aircraft made a forced landing in the West African country. Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, disclosed this while addressing journalists, amid widespread speculation that Burkinabe authorities had detained the officers following the incident. Though reports of their arrest circulated online, the minister neither confirmed nor dismissed the claims, insisting that diplomatic engagement was ongoing. Tuggar said Abuja had opened discussions with Burkina Faso’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, to ensure a swift resolution of what he described as “a delicate…

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, on Thursday died at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, after collapsing suddenly in his office. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred at about 1:30 p.m., triggering a frantic emergency response as aides and security personnel rushed him to the hospital. Sources at the Government House said the deputy governor slumped during office hours and was immediately taken to the FMC’s emergency unit, where doctors battled unsuccessfully to resuscitate him. He was confirmed dead shortly after arrival. A family source who spoke under anonymity said the news left relatives “devastated”,…

The Nigeria Labour Congress has fixed Thursday, December 17, 2025, for a nationwide protest to demand urgent government action on the country’s worsening insecurity, deepening economic hardship, collapsing tertiary education system and unresolved health sector disputes. The planned mass action was announced after the NLC’s National Executive Council meeting held at the union’s Sub-Secretariat in Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday, December 4. In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the congress said it was “deeply alarmed” by the deteriorating security situation, particularly the rising wave of kidnappings and attacks on schools. It cited the abduction of 24 schoolgirls from a boarding…

Two suspected cattle thieves, 20-year-old Aliyu Umaru and 26-year-old Yusuf Ibrahim, were on Wednesday arraigned before an Ijebu-Ode Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing ten cows valued at N26 million from a farm in Ogun State. The defendants were brought before the court on a two-count charge bordering on armed robbery and conspiracy, following a police investigation led by the Ogun State Police Command. According to the charge sheet signed by police prosecutor Solomon Babalola, the offence was committed between June 16 and 17, 2025, when the suspects and others still at large allegedly invaded Tojok Heritage Farm, located behind the…

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has again dismissed claims that a massacre occurred at the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, insisting that widespread descriptions of the incident as a mass killing are “fake news.” Speaking on ARISE Television on Wednesday night, December 10, the former minister reiterated his long-standing position that both local and international reports—especially CNN’s coverage—were not based on firsthand investigation. Mohammed, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, maintained that no family has stepped forward in the last five years to report a missing relative linked to the Lekki Tollgate shootings…