Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from the family of one of the suspects. The command said the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma and her friend, Evergreen Samuel, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s mother into believing she had been abducted and demanded ransom for her release. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Peter Aondona, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi. According to the police, Torkuma, a resident of Akpehe, Makurdi, left her residence on July 12, 2026, to…

Nearly eight years after the gruesome murder of Delta State University undergraduate, Elozino Ogege, the Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku has sentenced two men to death by hanging for their roles in the crime. The trial court, presided over by Justice Ngozi Azinge, convicted the two defendants after finding them guilty of the abduction and murder of the 300-level Mass Communication student, whose killing in November 2018 triggered nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity. Justice Azinge, in the judgment delivered on Wednesday, held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt against the convicts. The court,…

At least seven persons have been killed, including three worshippers shot dead inside a mosque, after heavily armed bandits invaded Tsamaye village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The attackers, who reportedly stormed the community at about 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, also abducted several residents, rustled livestock, looted shops and valuables, and set property ablaze during an operation that lasted for more than six hours. Residents said the bandits did not leave the village until about 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, leaving behind trails of destruction and fear. An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the…

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has explained why the Nigeria Police Force failed to produce Prince Adeyemi Adeniyi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the alleged fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the activities of the controversial body. The police said Adeniyi, who is in its custody, could not be presented before the committee because he is being held under a valid order of the Federal High Court. The House committee, chaired by the lawmaker representing Kanke/Kanam/Pankshin Federal Constituency of Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, had on Monday directed the IGP to produce…

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to revive the long-abandoned Ajaokuta Steel Company and moribund textile factories across the country as part of a broader strategy to reposition Nigeria’s industrial sector, create jobs and accelerate economic growth. Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, disclosed this during a television interview on Tuesday, saying the Tinubu administration was implementing the National Industrial Policy to strengthen local manufacturing and support the country’s ambition of building a $1tn economy. According to Enoh, discussions with local and international investors on the resuscitation of Ajaokuta Steel and the revival of the textile industry have…

…Says Judiciary Reduced To Begging Executive For Entitlements The Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, has faulted the Oyo State Government over the alleged failure to pay judges’ rent allowances for three years as well as their 2026 leave and vacation allowances, describing the development as a threat to judicial independence. The association said the non-payment of the statutory entitlements reflected a lack of respect for the judiciary and undermined the principle of separation of powers. The condemnation followed letters written by the Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Iyabo Yerima, to Governor Seyi Makinde, requesting the payment of outstanding rent allowances…

Today on Platform Times Newspaper, 29th July, 2026. Visit www.platformtimes.com.ng for many more stories.

Daud Olatunji Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, has concluded plans to commission what it describes as Nigeria’s first enterprise-grade 10 Gigabits per second (10Gbps) Smart Campus Network as part of efforts to strengthen digital learning, research and innovation. The commissioning, scheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2026, is being executed in partnership with the Advanced Technological Incubation and Research Center. According to a statement issued by the institution’s Head of Public Relations and Protocol, ‘Yemi Ajibola, the event will hold at the Otunba Gbenga Daniel Auditorium by 11 a.m. The statement noted that the initiative is aimed at repositioning the polytechnic as…

…Retention Rate Surpasses India, China, US …Graduate, Work Visa Routes Fuel Rise In Long-Term Stay Daud Olatunji Nigerian students have emerged as the international graduates most likely to remain in the United Kingdom after completing their studies, despite the British government’s tightening immigration policies and plans to make permanent residency more difficult. A new briefing on international student migration showed that about 78 per cent of Nigerians who entered the UK on student visas in 2020 still held valid visas by the end of 2025—the highest retention rate among the major nationalities examined. The report indicates that Nigerian graduates are…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the outcome of the 2027 general elections should be determined by the votes of Nigerians rather than through the courts, following the Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying a Federal High Court judgment that sought to deregister the African Democratic Congress and four other political parties. Atiku, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his media office in Abuja, described the appellate court’s ruling as a victory for constitutional democracy and the rule of law, saying it had removed legal obstacles that could have distracted the ADC from preparations for the 2027 polls. The…