Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has cautioned against the recent call by former Chief of Army Staff, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd.), urging Nigerians to resort to self-defense amidst rising insecurity, warning that such a move could plunge the country into anarchy. Speaking during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday, Governor Namadi acknowledged Danjuma’s stature as a respected military elder but stressed the dangers inherent in encouraging citizens to take the law into their hands. “He is a very senior security person and should be respected,” Namadi said. “But if he says that citizens should be…

The Nigerian Correctional Service, Kwara State Command, has debunked reports of a jailbreak at any of its custodial facilities, describing the claim as misleading and unfounded. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSC Philip Bamigbade, in a statement issued on Monday, said the attention of the service was drawn to a report by an online platform alleging that nine inmates escaped from a custodial centre in the state. “It is therefore imperative to make this clarification to disabuse the minds of the public,” he stated. Bamigbade explained that the facility where the alleged jailbreak occurred is a juvenile custodial centre under…

Hundreds of residents in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Sunday took to the streets in protest against the incessant killings and kidnappings that have gripped the state, particularly in Bokkos and Bassa local government areas. The peaceful protest, led by Christian leaders under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), was aimed at drawing attention to what they described as “systematic and senseless bloodshed” that has left over 100 people dead in the past two weeks alone. Bearing placards with inscriptions such as ‘Stop the bloodshed’, ‘Every life matters’, ‘Let Plateau live’, and ‘That they do not…

Suspected criminals in the early hours of Monday set ablaze the Ilesa High Court 2 in Osun State, razing the building and destroying vital court documents and exhibits. The incident, which threw the state judiciary into disarray, prompted a swift reaction from the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, who described the act as “an unjustifiable attack on the state judiciary” and “a threat to democracy.” A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, said the fire incident destroyed sensitive materials crucial to ongoing and past court proceedings. According to the statement, the state fire service was mobilised to the scene but…

…Says Insecurity Now Political Weapon Daud Olatunji The Eselu of Iselu Kingdom in Ogun State, Oba Ebenezer Akintunde Akinyemi, has urged President Bola Tinubu to consider hiring foreign mercenaries as a drastic measure to end the protracted wave of terrorism and banditry plaguing Nigeria, particularly in Plateau, Benue, and other northern states. In a strongly-worded open letter addressed to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the first-class traditional ruler described the persistent bloodshed as a national tragedy that has become a booming “industry” for some, warning that continued inaction could spell grave consequences for Nigeria’s unity and stability.…

Daud Olatunji Despite receiving a staggering N224.1 billion as federal allocation between January and February 2025, the six states in the South-West region — Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, and Ekiti, continue to grapple with mounting public frustration over dilapidated infrastructure, hunger, and deteriorating living conditions. PLATFORM TIMES reports that an analysis of disbursement data obtained from BudgIT, a civic-tech organization, shows that the six states collectively received N111.4 billion in January and N112.7 billion in February, yet the streets tell a different story — one of despair, failing public services, and an increasingly restless populace. PLATFORM TIMES further reports…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has called for mandatory drug testing for all prospective National Youth Service Corps members as part of efforts to stem the rising tide of substance abuse among Nigerian youths. Chairman of the agency, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), made the call on Sunday in Abuja during a keynote address delivered on his behalf by the Director of Drug Demand Reduction, Dr Ngozi Madubuike, at the ongoing three-day Drug Prevention, Treatment and Care (DPTC) training. The training was organised in collaboration with the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries. Marwa stated that introducing drug tests…

Amid persistent insecurity in Nigeria, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has called for the immediate decentralisation of the country’s policing system and the creation of Zonal Security Councils to address rising violence and criminality. Bakare, a former presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, made the call during his state of the nation address in Lagos on Sunday, warning that Nigeria’s centralised security architecture was failing to protect citizens. Citing recent mass killings in Plateau and Benue states where over 150 persons were murdered in separate attacks, Bakare insisted that…

Operatives of the Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, codenamed So-Safe Corps, have rescued 10 victims, including Ghanaians, who were allegedly trafficked into Nigeria with promises of employment but were later locked up in a building in the Mowe area of Ogun State. The victims, who included three women and seven men, were reportedly lured from Ghana with job offers but were instead confined to a three-bedroom apartment in the Oke-Sioni area, opposite Comfort Zone Hotel, Mowe, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state. They were denied freedom of movement and barred from communicating with…

Matthew Kukah, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has issued a heartfelt plea to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to act swiftly to curb the spate of killings and kidnappings ravaging Nigeria. In his powerful Easter homily for 2025, Kukah condemned the nation’s growing insecurity, declaring that Nigeria is slowly transforming into a “national morgue” under the current administration. Kukah’s remarks, delivered in his sermon titled “Mr. President: Please Bring Us Down from This Cross,” painted a grim picture of life in Nigeria, where innocent citizens face daily kidnappings and are held in horrendous conditions. “Every day, innocent…