Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned the immediate past Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company, Ahmed Dikko, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged money laundering involving more than N218 million. Dikko was on Wednesday docked before Justice Inyang Ekwo alongside Masterpiece Projects and Investment Limited on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and unlawful financial transactions. He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges, while counsel to the company, Ikechukwu Ajunwa, also entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the firm. The EFCC alleged that Dikko used about N218.4…

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested 135 suspected cultists and recovered 26 firearms during coordinated raids on criminal hideouts and black spots across the state in a bid to prevent violence linked to the annual July 7 cult celebrations. The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin? Wait, from the material provided, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday, saying the operation was carried out on the directive of the Commissioner of Police, CP Tijani Fatai, following credible intelligence. According to the police, the simultaneous raids involved Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, Tactical Commanders and operatives of…

The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), on Wednesday directed security personnel deployed to combat terrorism and banditry to engage armed criminals without waiting for orders, warning that operatives who hesitate would be treated as collaborators. Musa issued the directive in Sokoto while commissioning 62 operational vehicles and security equipment valued at N27.127bn, procured by the Sokoto State Government to bolster security operations. The minister said soldiers and other security personnel must act decisively whenever they encounter terrorists or bandits. “Once you are deployed, do not wait for any order from anybody to shoot any bandit or any terrorist,”…

The House of Representatives was engulfed in a rowdy session on Wednesday as lawmakers clashed over a motion seeking to summon Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain the implementation of the 2025 Appropriation Act. The heated exchanges erupted during plenary after a lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency of Delta State, Benedict Etanabene, raised a point of privilege over a circular issued by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi. Etanabene drew the attention of the House to the June 29 circular directing all federal ministries, departments and agencies to suspend the processing of payments for constituency and zonal intervention projects until…

The President/Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Prof. Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole, has called on governments at all levels to increase investment in sports, describing it as a strategic tool for character development, youth empowerment and national growth. Ojewole made the call while hosting members of Nigeria’s national table tennis team, who are currently holding a three-week training camp at the university in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. He said sports play a critical role in instilling discipline, resilience, leadership and good sportsmanship among young people, stressing that physical fitness complements academic excellence. According to him, Babcock University’s philosophy of training “the heart, the head…

The governorship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, received a boost on Wednesday as several political support groups, youth organisations and community stakeholders in Ogun West declared their support for his 2027 bid. Thousands of supporters from the Yewa axis converged on Tetede Hall in Ilaro, where they endorsed Adebutu and pledged to mobilise votes for his emergence as the state’s next governor. The groups, comprising PDP faithful and other political movements, described Adebutu as the preferred candidate for the governorship, insisting they were committed to delivering victory for him at the polls. Speaking…

The Federal Government has clarified that no Nigerian has been killed directly by the ongoing anti-foreigner protests in South Africa, despite the deaths of four Nigerians in the country in recent months. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, said investigations by the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa showed that none of the fatalities was linked to the current wave of xenophobic attacks. Ebienfa made the clarification on Wednesday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State. He said although disturbing videos had emerged showing mob attacks…

The National Transition Committee of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) has extended the tenure of the Chairman of its Ogun State Chapter, Chief Olalekan Soyinka, popularly known as Ayinla Egba, until the end of January 2027. The tenure extension was conveyed in a letter dated July 7, 2026, and signed by the Secretary of the FIBAN National Transition Committee, Alhaji ‘Gbenga Adebayo-Oladunni. According to the committee, the decision was informed by Soyinka’s outstanding leadership and the remarkable progress recorded by the Ogun State chapter within a few months of his appointment. The letter stated that the…

The Police Service Commission has dismissed four senior police officers and demoted 10 others after finding them guilty of various acts of misconduct, in what it described as a renewed effort to strengthen discipline and professionalism within the Nigeria Police Force. The disciplinary measures were approved during the Commission’s plenary meeting held at its headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the PSC’s Head of Protocol and Public Relations, Mr Torty Njoku Kalu. The Commission said the four officers were dismissed after they were found culpable of gross misconduct, unprofessional conduct and acts considered unbecoming of…

The wives of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what they described as their family’s “ordeal,” urging him to ensure that their husband is granted bail and allowed unhindered access to medical care, lawyers and relatives while standing trial. The appeal followed the arrest of El-Rufai’s personal physician, Prof. Bello Abubakar, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over allegations linked to the former governor’s medical consultation while in custody. Speaking with journalists in Abuja, one of the former governor’s wives, Asiya El-Rufai, flanked by Aichatou El-Rufai,…