Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government has once again sounded the alarm over the increasing number of Nigerians embarking on perilous journeys to Libya in a desperate bid to reach Europe illegally, warning that the North African country remains a dangerous trap rather than a gateway to greener pastures. Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, gave the stern warning during a media briefing on Tuesday, where she decried the growing wave of human trafficking and illegal migration despite repeated government interventions. “Libya is not an escape route; it is a death trap,” Dabiri-Erewa said emphatically. “People are still…

A newly recruited soldier has allegedly stabbed a police constable,  Aaron John to death during a violent altercation in Mayo-Goyi, a suburb of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital. The incident, which occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Monday, has sparked outrage among residents and further strained civil-military relations in the area. The deceased officer,  was reportedly responding to a distress call from community members over a dispute involving the soldier, Dauda Dedan, when the tragic confrontation ensued. According to the spokesperson of the Taraba State Police Command, SP James Lashen, Constable John attempted to intervene in the altercation, but the situation…

A 32-year-old man, Rasaq Gafar, has been arraigned before an Ibadan Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly threatening to kill Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke. The defendant was brought before Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi of the Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, on a three-count charge bordering on threat to life and conduct likely to breach public peace. According to the police prosecutor, Inspector Matthew Ojei, the alleged offence was committed on July 12, 2025, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Ojei told the court that Gafar had published threatening messages against the governor on his social media…

No fewer than 24,000 Nigerians have been reported missing by their families since 2015, according to data from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). María Toscano, Team Lead, Protection of Family Links at the ICRC, revealed this alarming figure on Tuesday during a media workshop held in Maiduguri, Borno State. She explained that most of the cases are linked to the Boko Haram insurgency and other conflicts in the North-East region. According to Toscano, Borno State alone accounts for nearly 9,000 of the 16,000 missing persons documented by the ICRC in the North-East, with Bama Local Government Area…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is reportedly considering a dramatic return to Nigeria’s presidential race in 2027, amid rising calls from key political stakeholders and senior members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urging him to run against incumbent President Bola Tinubu. According to Vanguard report, multiple sources within the PDP confirmed that the Bayelsa-born politician has shown interest in accepting the party’s ticket to contest the forthcoming election, positioning himself as a unifying figure to rescue the nation from worsening economic hardship, insecurity, and political uncertainty. A close ally of Jonathan, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that…

A hearing-impaired woman, Hauwa’u Bello, has dragged her husband, Usman Shuaibu, before a Shari’a Court in the Magajin Gari area of Kaduna State, seeking the dissolution of their nine-year marriage over alleged neglect and starvation. Bello, who spoke through a sign language interpreter, Aisha Sulaiman, told the court on Wednesday that her husband gives her only N50 daily to feed herself and their child. “We got married in 2016, and at the beginning, my parents provided food for us. But when the food ran out, things turned worse,” she said. The complainant, who claimed her husband is a tailor, accused…

Egbin Power Plc, Ikeja Electric Plc, and First Independent Power Limited (FIPL) have strongly denied reports suggesting they are under receivership, describing the claims as false, misleading, and in contempt of a subsisting court ruling. The managements of the power firms, in a joint statement on Wednesday, faulted advertorials published in This Day newspaper, which claimed that a Receiver/Manager, “Kunle Ogunba (SAN),” had been appointed over KEPCO Energy Resource Nigeria Limited, NG Power-HPS Limited, and New Electricity Distribution Company—the parent companies of the operating firms. Reacting to the publication, Babatunde Osadare, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer of Ikeja Electric, who…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned six persons, including top officials of the Katsina State Board of Internal Revenue and a First Bank employee, over their alleged involvement in a N1.2 billion fraud linked to funds from international donor agencies. The suspects — Nura Lawal, Sanusi Mohammed Yaro, Ibrahim Mamman, Abubakar Saidu, Rabiu Adamu Abdullahi, and Adam Alhassan Albashir — were on Tuesday,  brought before Justice Musa Danladi of the Katsina State High Court by the EFCC’s Kano Zonal Directorate. They were arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on conspiracy, diversion of public funds, and money laundering.…

An accountant with the Oyo State Hospital Management Board, Wahab Olabanji, has been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison after being convicted for defrauding job applicants under the guise of offering them employment in government agencies. Olabanji, who served as Chief Executive Officer (Accounts), Grade Level 14, was found guilty of collecting money from multiple unsuspecting individuals seeking jobs at the state’s Hospital Management Board and the Teaching Service Commission. The conviction followed a 17-month trial prosecuted by the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency (OYACA). The agency’s Chairman, Justice Eni Esan (retd), confirmed in a statement issued on…

Veteran Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, is currently under scrutiny by aviation authorities following a disruptive incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which led to the suspension of two ValueJet pilots. According to findings by PLATFORM TIMES, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) confirmed on Wednesday that the musician spilled alcohol on an aviation security officer during a confrontation over a restricted item he attempted to board with — a flask containing alcohol. The incident, which occurred on August 5, 2025, reportedly escalated when Ayinde refused multiple directives to surrender the liquid,…