Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Two of the 25 female students abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, on Monday have reportedly escaped from their captors. Hussaini Aliyu, an official from Danko Wasagu Local Government Area, told PLATFORM TIMES that the girls ran away as the bandits were leading them into the bush, crossing farmlands to freedom. “They are back and safe. One of the girls sustained a leg injury while fleeing and is receiving medical treatment,” Aliyu said. The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, claimed the life of the school’s vice principal, Hassan Makuku. Ali Shehu, a…

Tension has gripped Nigeria’s business elite after reports emerged that hackers infiltrated the mobile phones of billionaire industrialists, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola, demanding ransom. Sources close to the businessmen confirmed to PLATFORM TIMES that Otedola’s phone, Chairman of FirstHoldCo Plc, was breached once, while Dangote, Africa’s richest man, suffered two separate cyber-attacks within 48 hours. Although it remains unclear whether the moguls have fully regained control of their devices, insiders say the intruders wasted no time in issuing financial demands. “The hackers are asking for money from both men,” said a source familiar with the incident. Details about the…

… Reserves Now Cover Over 10 Months Of Imports, Boosting Economic Stability … CBN Attributes Rise To Investor Confidence, Fiscal, Monetary Reforms Daud Olatunji Nigeria’s foreign reserves have surged to $46.8 billion, the highest level the country has recorded in nearly eight years, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed. Speaking at the 20th anniversary of the CBN’s Monetary Policy Department (MPD) in Abuja on Tuesday, CBN Governor, Yemi Cardoso, said the rise reflects growing investor confidence and robust foreign inflows. He was represented at the event by the Deputy Governor in charge of Economic Policy, Dr. Mohammed Sani…

The Senate on Tuesday asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately approve the recruitment of 100,000 fresh military personnel to tackle worsening insecurity, including escalating school abductions and deadly attacks in several states. The lawmakers also ordered a full-scale probe into the Safe School Programme, saying billions budgeted to protect schoolchildren appear to have vanished while criminals continue to raid educational institutions with ease. The resolutions followed a heated debate sparked by the killing of a vice principal and kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State. Presiding over plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio later moved…

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the powerful royal “knew nothing” about the killing — a position that directly contradicts U.S. intelligence findings. Trump made the remarks during a meeting with the crown prince at the Oval Office on Tuesday, his first visit to Washington since 2018, months before Khashoggi was assassinated inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “You’re mentioning somebody who was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman,” Trump said when asked about the killing. “Whether you liked…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday renewed its warning against the abuse of the naira, insisting that spraying, hawking or mutilating the national currency remains a criminal offence punishable under Nigerian law. Speaking at the 2025 CBN Fair in Enugu, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, said the apex bank would no longer tolerate the rising cases of currency abuse, describing the naira as “a national symbol that must be treated with dignity.” “We strongly appeal to all Nigerians: do not spray, hawk, mutilate or counterfeit the naira. It is not just paper; it…

The deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday exploded into a chaotic confrontation in Abuja, prompting the party’s National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, to issue an extraordinary appeal to United States President Donald Trump and other foreign powers to intervene and “save Nigeria’s democracy.” Trouble began shortly before the rival factions of the party scheduled parallel National Executive Committee meetings at the PDP national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja — a move that set loyalists of Turaki and supporters of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on a collision course. Speaking moments before the clash, Turaki accused Wike of “leading armed…

The internal crisis plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday degenerated into a full-blown war as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ratified the expulsion of three serving governors and several prominent party heavyweights. At a heated meeting held at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, the factional National Executive Committee announced the expulsion of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal. Also expelled were former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; former Deputy National Chairman, Bode George; and…

The 20th coronation anniversary of the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, on Monday drew fresh tributes as prominent Egba chief, Chief Olalekan  Shoyinka, described the monarch’s reign as “two decades of unmatched stability, cultural revival, and purposeful leadership.” In a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES on Tuesday, Shoyinka—who holds the traditional title of Gbadegesin of Ijemo—praised the monarch for what he called “a historic tenure that has strengthened institutions and advanced the unity of the Egba nation.” According to him, Oba Gbadebo’s 20 years on the throne have not only…

… Pictorial Warnings Push Quit-Attempt Rate From 26% To 43% … BATN Fined $110m For Repeated Violations Under WHO FCTC Daud Olatunji  Nigeria has reported major progress in its fight against tobacco consumption, enforcement and industry accountability, unveiling new data that shows a significant drop in smoking rates and stronger national action against violators of tobacco control laws. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced the breakthroughs on Monday while presenting Nigeria’s progress report at the Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO…