Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 21-year-old man, identified as Samson Onilewaji, after he was allegedly found in possession of a suspected human hand, firearms, axes and items believed to have been stolen from robbery victims. The command said the suspect was apprehended during a routine stop-and-search operation along the Lekki-Epe Expressway after officers intercepted an unregistered commercial shuttle bus conveying six occupants. In a statement issued on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said a search of the vehicle and its occupants led to the recovery of a suspected human right hand,…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has nullified its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, ordering that the case be heard afresh with all interested parties joined. The ruling effectively suspends the legal basis upon which the NDC was recognised, pending the determination of the substantive suit. Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the December 10, 2025 judgment was fundamentally defective because it was delivered without hearing all parties whose interests were directly affected. The judge ruled that the Peace Movement…

,.. Says policy is backed By Education Laws, Not Arbitrary Decisions … Insists Maturity Crucial For Academic Success, Allows Exceptions For Gifted Students Daud Olatunji The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has defended the 16-year minimum age requirement for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions, insisting that the policy is rooted in existing education laws and supported by years of evidence linking maturity with academic success. JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the clarification on Thursday during a virtual dialogue organised by the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria, themed “2026 Admission Policy Review and JAMB Scorecard: A Conversation with…

Daud Olatunji The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has declared its unwavering support for Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, dismissing calls for the Federal Government and Oyo State Government to sanction him over his recent anti-banditry campaign. The group insisted that Igboho’s actions were directed at kidnappers, bandits and other violent criminals operating in the South-West, and not at any ethnic group, describing attempts to portray him as promoting ethnic hatred as “blackmail.” In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, Afenifere maintained that the activist had neither violated…

…Says Current Pay No Longer Reflects Economic Realities …Promises Workers-Friendly Talks With Organised Labour Daud Olatunji The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has disclosed that the Federal Government will review the N70,000 national minimum wage, acknowledging that the salary benchmark approved in 2024 no longer reflects Nigeria’s current economic realities. Gbajabiamila made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at an event organised by Working People United. He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu remained committed to ensuring Nigerian workers earn wages that are fair and commensurate with prevailing economic conditions. According to him, the…

Another batch of 66 Nigerians evacuated from South Africa has arrived in Lagos as the Federal Government continues efforts to repatriate citizens affected by recent developments in the country. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission disclosed in a statement on Thursday that the returnees landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at about 8:50pm on Wednesday. According to NiDCOM, the evacuation, approved by President Bola Tinubu, forms part of the Federal Government’s intervention to ensure the safety and welfare of Nigerians living abroad. The commission said the latest returnees were accompanied by officials of the Nigerian High Commission in South…

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed banks, fintechs and other regulated financial institutions to immediately freeze all accounts, funds and assets linked to six individuals and four Bureau De Change operators placed on the Nigeria Sanctions List over alleged terrorism financing. The directive was contained in a circular dated June 24, 2026, with reference number CMD/FCS/PUB/CIR/002/011, following the latest update to the Nigeria Sanctions List, which took effect on June 18. According to the apex bank, all regulated institutions are required to comply immediately by identifying and freezing, without prior notice, all funds, assets and other economic resources belonging…

A German court has sentenced 12 members of a Nigerian organised crime syndicate to various prison terms for their roles in an international romance scam and money laundering operation that targeted vulnerable victims across several countries. The Munich court handed the convicts, aged between 34 and 55, prison sentences ranging from three years and four months to eight years and six months after finding them guilty of participating in a criminal network that defrauded victims through online romance scams before laundering the illicit proceeds. According to the court, the syndicate operated by creating fake identities, including posing as United States…

The Lagos State Police Command has ruled out terrorism, sabotage and the use of explosive devices in the incident that triggered panic in the Mushin area of Lagos, saying investigations revealed that the blast was caused by the failure of a pressurised mechanical component. The command said forensic and technical findings showed that the incident, initially suspected to be an explosion involving an Improvised Explosive Device, was purely mechanical in nature and bore no link to any criminal activity. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, following the conclusion of investigations into…

An Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping of a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps in the state. The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were found guilty of abducting Mrs Omoboade Adesina, an NYSC official, in April 2022. Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, delivered the judgment in suit number HAD/124C/2022, holding that the prosecution proved the charge of kidnapping against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt. The court, however, discharged and acquitted a third defendant, Usman Abubakar, after ruling that the prosecution…