Author: Platform Times Newspaper

After more than a decade as the face of Television Continental’s flagship breakfast talk show Your View, ace broadcaster Morayo Afolabi-Brown has signed off, leaving behind an inspiring legacy of impact, especially among Nigerian women at home and abroad. Morayo, who anchored the popular programme for 12 years, bowed out on Friday in an emotional farewell episode filled with tributes from colleagues, fans and notable personalities. Viewers recounted how the show helped shape conversations on politics, social issues and family life. One fan from the United Kingdom said watching the programme kept her connected to home and helped her cope…

…Half of Nigeria’s cases involve children …Borno govt pledges support for affected families At least 284,000 people have been declared missing worldwide, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has revealed, warning that the figure represents one of the most painful humanitarian crises of modern times. Head of Sub-Delegation of the ICRC Maiduguri Field Office, Diana Japaridza, disclosed this on Saturday in Maiduguri during an event to mark the International Day of the Disappeared, set aside annually on August 30 by the United Nations. Japaridza said Nigeria accounts for about 24,000 active cases of missing persons, the highest in…

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has reiterated that Nigeria’s correctional facilities must serve as centres of rehabilitation and transformation rather than prisons of condemnation. Tunji-Ojo made the remark on Saturday in Niger State during the signing of performance bonds with agencies under the Ministry of Interior. According to him, ongoing reforms in the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) are yielding results, but he stressed the need to sustain the momentum. “Correctional Service is becoming transformational, rehabilitatory and reformatory — and that is exactly what I want to see,” he said. “I don’t want our correctional centres to be places of…

Athletes representing Ogun State at the ongoing National Youth Games in Delta State have cried out over what they described as inhumane treatment after being left without accommodation, forcing many of them to sleep in the open under the rain. Some of the athletes and officials, who spoke with PLATFORM TIMES, expressed frustration that despite travelling long distances to represent the state, they were abandoned without access to basic necessities such as water, electricity, and proper shelter. Since arriving at the Games village on Friday, the Ogun contingent — comprising athletes, coaches, medical personnel, and security officials — said they…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Epe Branch, has condemned in strong terms the killing of two commercial motorcyclists and the wounding of another by policemen attached to the Elemoro Police Station, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State. The incident, which occurred on Thursday at Onosa Junction, sparked outrage among residents and commercial motorcyclists, who staged a massive protest a day later before soldiers intervened to restore order. In a joint statement issued on Saturday by the Branch Chairman, Dr. S. O. Jimoh, and Vice Chairman/Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Ivo Takor, the lawyers described the killings as “cold-blooded, unlawful, and a direct…

No fewer than a dozen persons were injured on Saturday when hoodlums attacked members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) during a coalition meeting reportedly convened under the leadership of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The incident, which occurred at the NUT Endwell Conference Hall in Mogadishu Layout, Kaduna, threw the gathering into chaos as thugs armed with weapons invaded the venue. Viral videos and photos circulating online showed wounded participants and vehicles with shattered windscreens. Eyewitnesses said the meeting was part of ongoing discussions between the two opposition parties ahead of the 2027…

A 23-year-old woman, Nmesoma Josephine Nwoye, has been arrested alongside her boyfriend, Chibuike Ogbu, for allegedly faking her own abduction in a bid to extort money from her parents. The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the arrest in a statement issued on Friday by its spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed that the suspects had already received part of the ransom before their arrest. Ikenga said the lovers had initially demanded N15 million from Nmesoma’s parents but later agreed to accept N3 million, which was paid into the woman’s personal bank account. He added that detectives recovered N1.2 million —…

…N117m overpayment discovered in March payroll The Rivers State government has uncovered thousands of ghost workers and pensioners following a fresh verification exercise of its workforce and retirees. Official figures released on Friday by the Sole Administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, revealed a sharp drop in the number of workers and pensioners on the government’s payroll after the audit. According to him, only 37,703 civil servants were confirmed as genuine employees, compared to a previous record of over 43,000, while the number of pensioners fell to 19,186 against the earlier figure of more than 25,500 retirees. Speaking during…

Tragedy struck Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Friday when 13 residents drowned while attempting to escape a gunmen’s invasion of their communities. Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed two villages in Birnin Magaji Ward, forcing terrified residents to flee toward a nearby river. With no safe escape route on land, scores of villagers rushed to board a single boat in a desperate attempt to cross to the other side. The boat, however, became overloaded and capsized midway, throwing its occupants into the river. A health worker, Shehu Mohammed, who lost his first son and two nieces in…

Fresh revelations have emerged in Kano State’s growing corruption scandal, as Bureau de Change (BDC) operators have implicated Abdullahi Rogo, the Director-General of Protocol to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in an alleged N6.5 billion fraud currently under investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are probing claims that Mr Rogo masterminded the diversion of billions of naira belonging to the Kano State Government, funnelling the funds through shell companies, bureau de change operators, and personal accounts. In separate statements to investigators, two BDC operators…