Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A United States District Court in California has convicted a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Paulinus Iheanacho Okoronkwo, over a $2.1 million bribery and money laundering scheme tied to oil drilling rights in Nigeria. Okoronkwo, 58, who holds dual Nigerian and American citizenship and also practises law in Los Angeles, was found guilty after a four-day trial in August. The jury convicted him on three counts of unlawful monetary transactions, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice. Prosecutors told the court that in October 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Swiss…

The Enugu State Police Command on Thursday announced a major breakthrough in its fight against crime, with the arrest of 5,176 suspected criminals and the recovery of N10 million cash, 21 exotic vehicles, and dangerous weapons. Commissioner of Police, Mamam Giwa, disclosed this during a press conference at the Command Headquarters in Enugu, noting that the feat was achieved between March 11 and September 11, 2025, through intelligence-led operations, tactical surveillance, and raids on criminal hideouts. According to him, the suspects include kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists, and murderers who had terrorised residents across the state. “We have remained relentless in…

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has narrated how he was abducted and robbed by a criminal gang posing as taxi operators during his recent trip to Romania for the Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Soyinka, who travelled to Bucharest at the invitation of Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the General Assembly of UNESCO, said he arrived at the Romanian capital around 12:10 a.m. and was to spend the night in the city before proceeding to Sibiu. Speaking in an interview in Lagos, the 90-year-old playwright said the ordeal began when he missed the party sent to pick him up at the…

…Braided hair, tinted hair, artificial nails, and bushy beards outlawed …Suits made compulsory for senior staff from Grade Level 13 and above Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, has introduced a new dress code for civil servants in the state, banning braided or tinted hair, artificial nails, long eyelashes, bushy beards, and certain traditional caps in government offices. The directive, contained in a circular issued by the governor’s New Media Office on Thursday, made complete suits compulsory for male and female workers on Grade Level 13 and above, while those on lower levels are expected to appear in corporate attire. According…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intercepted counterfeit malaria drugs valued at over N1.2 billion in Lagos. The Director of Investigation and Enforcement, Martins Iluyomade, disclosed on Thursday that the fake products, branded Malamal Fort, were concealed in a container that was declared to contain spare parts. The discovery was made at a warehouse in the Ilasa-Oshodi area of the state. Iluyomade explained that the drugs were packaged in cartons labelled as enteric-coated diclofenac potassium 50mg but, upon inspection, were found to contain counterfeit anti-malaria medicines allegedly manufactured by Shanxi Tianyuan Pharmaceuticals Group in China.…

The Federal Government has announced that secondary schools without properly certified teachers will lose their accreditation to serve as examination centres for public exams, including the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), from 2027. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in a directive issued to the Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) on Thursday. He explained that the move was part of government’s renewed drive to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession. According to the policy, only schools with teachers duly registered and licensed by TRCN will be…

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, fuelling fresh speculations about possible political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections. Obi, who disclosed the meeting on his verified X handle, described Jonathan as his “elder brother, statesman, and leader,” adding that their discussions were “fruitful” and centred on national issues. He wrote: “Today in Abuja, I met with my very dear elder brother, statesman, and leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan. We had a fruitful closed-door meeting and discussed the state of our dear nation.” Although Obi did…

A Professor of Marketing Communication at Babcock University, Prof. Adesoga Adefulu, has developed a new business model designed to help organisations achieve long-term success through integrated marketing strategies. The model, known as “The Adefulu Model”, is anchored on what he describes as the five A’s of marketing—Attention, Attraction, Appreciation, Action, and Advocacy. Delivering the university’s 54th inaugural lecture titled Integrated Marketing Communication Transformative Power: The Adefulu Model, Prof. Adefulu explained that the framework provides businesses with a step-by-step pathway for understanding customer behaviour and building brand loyalty. According to him, each stage of the five A’s builds on the previous…

The Nasarawa State Police Command has arrested a female student for allegedly abandoning her newborn baby in a bush in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state. The infant, wrapped in a piece of cloth, was discovered on Wednesday morning near a primary school along AA Koto Street, Akwanga. Residents, who were alarmed by the cry of the baby, quickly rescued the child and alerted the police. Confirming the incident in Lafia on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, said the suspect, a final-year NCE student of the College of Education, Akwanga, had been identified and taken…

The Kano State Road and Traffic Agency (KAROTA) has secured the conviction of 84 motorists and tricycle operators for flouting traffic light regulations across the state. The convictions followed two days of sittings by the agency’s mobile courts in strategic locations within Kano metropolis. According to a statement issued on Thursday by KAROTA’s Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Ibrahim, the offenders were nabbed for ignoring traffic signals at designated points, thereby endangering road safety. At a session held along Airport Road by Baban Gwari roundabout, Chief Magistrate Halima Wali convicted 41 offenders. Similarly, another sitting along Zoo Road by Gidan Buhari…