Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Toyyibat Qasim Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has sharply criticised President Bola Tinubu’s borrowing policy, describing his assertion that borrowing is not leprosy as “absolute nonsense” and warning that mounting debts could destroy generations of Nigerians. Obasanjo, who expressed concern over the country’s growing debt burden, argued that while leprosy destroys an individual, excessive borrowing places an enduring financial burden on entire generations. The former president made the remarks on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while speaking at the Ajibosin Platform, a public forum themed, “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development.” He was reacting to Tinubu’s…

…ICT Director Reveals Registration Officers Introduced AI-Generated Images, Other Irregularities Nationwide …Former VP Demands Independent Forensic Probe, Insists Culprits Must Be Named …Threatens Lawsuit Over Secrecy Surrounding Companies Handling Sensitive Election Materials Daud Olatunji The Independent National Electoral Commission has admitted that some of its registration officers across the country introduced irregularities, including artificial intelligence-generated photographs, into Nigeria’s national voter register, triggering fresh demands for accountability and an independent forensic audit ahead of the 2027 general elections. The admission has prompted former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to demand the immediate identification and prosecution of officials responsible for the alleged manipulation, warning…

Daud Olatunji Nigerian troops have killed 48 suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters during separate counter-terrorism operations in Borno and Yobe states, recovering a cache of weapons and ammunition. The operations, conducted by troops of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation Hadin Kai, followed coordinated attacks by suspected terrorists on military positions in Bitta, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, and Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. The military disclosed that the engagements began on the night of October 29 and continued into the early hours of Friday, October 30, 2026. The Acting…

Ayomide Awe A Federal Government investigation has revealed that 14 children, including four below the age of 14, were among 33 detainees who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State, following their arrest during raids on suspected illegal mining sites. The probe also exposed how some of the arrested artisanal miners were internally displaced persons who had fled their ancestral communities following attacks by bandits and allegedly resorted to mining activities to survive. The deaths, which occurred in September, were attributed to severe overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, extreme heat, dehydration, environmental asphyxia…

The Plateau State Police Command has transferred the investigation into allegations of repeated sexual abuse of nursery pupils at a Local Education Authority Primary School in Gangare community to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation. The development comes amid concerns that parents of the alleged perpetrators are pushing for their release on bail, despite claims that they have been informed of the outcome of physical examinations conducted on the suspects at the Police Clinic. Sources within the school, including parents and teachers, told SaharaReporters that the local police division had concluded its preliminary investigation before forwarding the case…

Writing Toyyibat Qasim Three persons have been burnt to death following a midnight collision between a passenger bus conveying day-old chicks and a truck loaded with sacks along the Oko-Olowo axis of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The fatal accident reportedly occurred around midnight on Thursday when the two vehicles collided, triggering a fire that engulfed the bus and trapped its three occupants. Sources said the truck was travelling from the Shao direction when its driver allegedly attempted to make a U-turn towards Oko-Olowo. The manoeuvre reportedly placed the truck in the path of the oncoming passenger bus, which was…

Firdaus Obiremi The Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has unveiled a 100-point manifesto, challenging residents to hold him accountable for its implementation if elected governor. Hamzat, who presented the document, tagged The Lagos Promise, at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos, on Friday, described it as a social contract between him and the electorate. He said the manifesto contained measurable commitments designed to address challenges confronting residents, particularly in healthcare, education, infrastructure, economic development, security and social welfare.…

Ayomide Awe A prominent Ondo State businessman and owner of Esther Estate, Kayode Akinbolusere, popularly known as Tolufe, has been found dead in his office in Igba area of the state, with the police launching an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Akinbolusere, 46, reportedly died on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in an incident suspected to be suicide. The development was confirmed by the Ondo State Police Command, which said it commenced preliminary investigations after receiving reports that the businessman had been found dead at his office near a filling station in Igba Town. The police spokesperson, DSP Abayomi…

Daud Olatunji The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has warned newly recruited personnel into paramilitary agencies under the Ministry of Interior against paying any money for the mandatory Drug Integrity Test (DIT), declaring that the exercise has already been fully funded by the ministry. The agency said the Ministry of Interior had made bulk payment to cover the drug screening of new recruits into the Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Fire Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Consequently, the NDLEA cautioned candidates participating in the exercise against making payments to its officials, designated testing centres or…

…Says Tinubu’s Reforms Deserve Support Despite Economic Hardship Daud Olatunji The son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Abba Abubakar, has unveiled an ambitious nationwide mobilisation plan to secure the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, including a proposed two-million-man march across the six geopolitical zones. Abba, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress, disclosed the plan on Friday at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, where he presented the political mobilisation agenda of his organisation, Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation (HBTO). The organisation, which he founded and chairs, said it was preparing to establish a nationwide…