Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Plateau State Police Command has arraigned 22 suspects in connection with the gruesome killing of wedding-bound travellers in Mangun community, Mangu Local Government Area of the state. The arraignment took place on Thursday at the State High Court in Jos, following the deadly attack that left 13 passengers dead and several others injured. The victims, who were mostly family members and friends, were on their way from Basawa in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State to attend a wedding ceremony in Qua’an Pan LGA when they were ambushed and attacked by suspected mobs. The travellers, including men,…

A United States District Court has sentenced a 43-year-old Nigerian, Abiola Femi Quadri, to 11 years and three months in federal prison for orchestrating a massive COVID-19 benefits fraud scheme that defrauded California and Nevada of over $1.3 million. Quadri, a resident of Pasadena in the San Gabriel Valley, was sentenced on Thursday by Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered him to pay $1,356,229 in restitution and a $35,000 fine. Court documents revealed that Quadri submitted more than 100 fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment and disability insurance using stolen identities. He allegedly used proceeds from the scheme to fund…

Over 254,000 electricity consumers lodged complaints against Distribution Companies (DisCos) across Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025, with issues ranging from faulty meters to estimated billing and persistent power outages, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The commission’s Q1 report revealed that between January and March 2025, a total of 254,404 complaints were received, a slight reduction of 7.72 percent compared to the 275,681 complaints recorded in Q4 2024. A breakdown of the complaints shows that metering (42.84%), billing issues (12.27%), and service interruptions (7.66%) topped the chart, jointly accounting for more than 62 percent of all…

Political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has unveiled a shadow cabinet to offer policy alternatives to the federal government, as part of his ongoing effort to reposition the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a viable political platform. Utomi announced the cabinet on Wednesday in Abuja during a two-day retreat of “The Big Tent” coalition. The appointed shadow ministers include Nana Kazaure for Information, Riwang Pam for Security, Nike Omola for Women and Gender Development, and Peter Agada for Infrastructure. Speaking at the event, Utomi said the shadow cabinet would not compete with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but would serve…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Mohammed Bello Adoke, a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) under his administration, was unjustly hunted across the globe over the controversial OPL 245 oil deal. Jonathan made this statement on Thursday in Abuja during the public presentation of Adoke’s memoir, “OPL 245: Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Nigerian Oil Block.” He was represented at the event by former Senate President, Pius Anyim. Jonathan noted that following the end of his administration in 2015, the succeeding government allegedly launched a manhunt against key officials who served with him, with Adoke being one…

Daud Olatunji  Vice-President Kashim Shettima has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan once attempted to illegally remove him as Borno State governor at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2013, but was stopped by legal resistance from then-Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN). Shettima made the startling revelation on Thursday during the launch of Adoke’s memoir in Abuja. His account wascentered on events under the Jonathan administration. He said ““there are two gentlemen seated here. Certain decisions are taken in a very rare circle. The President, the Vice President, the Senate President and the Speaker…

Three civic groups have raised concerns over what they described as major irregularities ahead of the Lagos State Local Government and Local Council Development Area (LCDA) elections scheduled for Saturday, July 12. The groups — Digital Future Development Initiative (DiF-DI), AdvoKC Foundation, and PoliZ — in a joint statement on Wednesday, accused the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) of actions that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process. They listed late publication of the list of candidates, lack of basic information about contestants, outdated electoral practices, and the selective application of a new electoral law among their key…

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has faulted a proposed bill seeking to establish a training institute for the Police Service Commission (PSC), warning that the Senate must not become a “rubber stamp” for what he described as duplicative institutions. The bill, titled Police Service Commission Training Institute (Establishment) Bill, 2025, was presented at Thursday’s plenary by Senator Yunus Akintunde on behalf of Abdulhamid Mallam-Madori, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs. But Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, argued that the PSC does not require a separate training institute since it employs few people and has a limited operational mandate. “This Senate…

The Senate has removed Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as Chairman of its Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, replacing her with Senator Aniekan Bassey of Akwa Ibom North-East. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the change on Thursday during plenary, though no official reason was given. However, the decision is believed to be linked to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s unresolved suspension, which has sparked legal and political controversy. Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central, had earlier been reassigned to the Diaspora Committee in February following her removal as Chair of the Local Content Committee in a minor leadership reshuffle. Her replacement comes despite a Federal High…

Elder statesman and nationalist, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has declared that he is no longer affiliated with any political party or group, distancing himself from the flurry of political alignments building up ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking with journalists in Kano on Wednesday, the 98-year-old statesman said his current preoccupation is with national development and not partisan politics, stressing that his role now is to support ideas that will help move Nigeria forward. “I am not a member of any political group or organisation,” Yakasai stated firmly. “At this point in my life, my interest is solely on promoting…