Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC) has charged intending pilgrims from the state and across the country to conduct themselves with discipline and decorum during the 2025 Hajj exercise. Speaking at a farewell event held in Abeokuta for the state’s contingent, the Council warned that any act of indiscipline—whether deliberate or unintended—could tarnish Nigeria’s image and hinder the overall success of the religious pilgrimage. The OMC, under the leadership of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, described the Hajj as a sacred global convergence that demands strict adherence to rules and spiritual mindfulness. In a statement signed by…

Seventy-eight Nigerian victims of human trafficking rescued from Côte d’Ivoire arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, late Saturday night amid tears, relief and renewed hope, as the Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Adamu Bello, vowed a total crackdown on the syndicate behind their ordeal. NAPTIP disclosed this in a  statement issued by the Press Officer,  Adekoye Vincent , adding that the victims, include  75 young women and girls, three babies, and two adult males—were evacuated aboard an Air Peace flight facilitated free of charge by the airline’s Chairman, Mr…

No fewer than 375 Nigerian nationals applied for asylum in Sweden in 2024, with middle-aged women forming the majority of applicants, data from the Swedish Migration Agency has revealed. According to figures published on the agency’s “Asyl” portal, Nigeria ranked ninth globally and fourth among African countries with the highest number of asylum seekers last year. Of the total applications, 239 were first-time requests, while 136 were follow-up submissions by individuals seeking to extend their temporary protection status. A demographic breakdown of the figures shows that nearly half of the Nigerian applicants were between the ages of 25 and 44.…

Despite a sharp decline in reported data breaches, Nigeria remains vulnerable to mounting cyberthreats, with over 119,000 user accounts already compromised in 2025, a new report has revealed. According to findings by cybersecurity firm Surfshark, Nigeria ranks third in Sub-Saharan Africa for the highest number of total breaches since 2004, recording over 23.2 million compromised accounts. The report, which analysed over 29,000 publicly available databases, also highlighted that although data breaches in Nigeria plummeted by 85% between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, risks associated with digital exposure remain alarmingly high. “Cyberthreats continue to evolve, and attackers are constantly adapting their…

The Abia State Government has announced plans to convert the newly built Government House in Umuahia, commissioned under former Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, into a five-star hotel, citing structural deficiencies and impracticality for administrative use. Commissioner for Information, Mr Okey Kanu, disclosed this during a press tour of the expansive facility located at Ogurube Layout, a stone’s throw from the state secretariat. Kanu described the complex as “uninhabitable” and a “security risk,” insisting that the edifice, hurriedly inaugurated on May 28, 2023—a day before the end of Ikpeazu’s tenure—was incomplete and lacked basic residential and official amenities. “The structure is hollow.…

Operatives of the Nigeria Police  Force have rescued 25 Ivorian nationals from a notorious cross-border kidnapping syndicate operating in Ogun State. The Force, working in collaboration with Interpol, also arrested eight suspects connected to the abduction. The breakthrough came following a coordinated operation launched in response to a formal request from the National Central Bureau, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement . He revealed that the operation was triggered by a report filed on April 23, 2025, by one Kaussi Amenan Marianman. Marianman had informed the police that her son, Ladji Yoa…

The Anambra State Government has imposed a one-month sanction on Blossom Fount School, Awka, over allegations that the school monetised a student leadership position. Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, in a statement on Saturday, said the private institution demanded N5,000 from each pupil aspiring to become the head prefect in the primary section. Describing the act as “a violation of educational ethics,” Chuma-Udeh said such conduct amounted to “selling the psyche of the children to the highest bidder from the cradle,” and would not be tolerated under the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The commissioner said the sanction was…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has uncovered a case of impersonation involving two visually impaired individuals during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known on Friday at a press briefing in Abuja. He revealed that a blind candidate arranged for another visually impaired undergraduate to sit the UTME on his behalf during the session organised for blind candidates under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG). “Sadly, one of them was also involved in impersonation by recruiting an undergraduate student who is also blind to come and write for…

A Nigerian-British art dealer, Oghenochuko Orji, has pleaded guilty to terrorism financing charges in the United Kingdom after failing to report artwork sales to a man linked to the proscribed Hezbollah group. Orji, who is also known for his appearances on the BBC’s popular programme Bargain Hunt, was arraigned on Friday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, London, on an eight-count charge under Section 21(a) of the UK Terrorism Act 2000. This marks the first prosecution of its kind in the country. According to reports by the BBC, the charges stem from transactions conducted between October 2020 and December 2021, during which…

Governors of the 19 northern states and traditional rulers have thrown their weight behind the establishment of state police, urging the National Assembly to accelerate the passage of relevant legislation to actualise the move. The endorsement was the major outcome of a joint meeting between the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and the Northern Traditional Rulers Council held on Saturday in Kaduna. In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by NSGF Chairman and Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the leaders said the decision was a direct response to the worsening security situation across the…