Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered over N5bn and $10m from contractors and former officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited indicted in the multi-billion naira fraud that trailed the turnaround maintenance of the nation’s refineries. Investigations by The Punch  revealed that the anti-graft agency is also closing in on another N10bn and $13m allegedly siphoned by contractors and government officials involved in the controversial rehabilitation projects. Top EFCC sources disclosed that the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, personally took charge of the probe following widespread concerns that the refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Warri have remained…

Daud Olatunji Widespread violence, alleged vote-buying, and voter apathy on Saturday marred the by-elections conducted across several states to fill vacant senatorial and House of Representatives seats. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the seats vacant following the resignation or death of their former occupants. According to the commission, 3.5 million registered voters across 12 states were expected to participate in the exercise. Ogun State: PDP Chairman, INEC Staff Arrested In Ogun State, the polls in the Remo Federal Constituency turned chaotic as security operatives arrested the state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abayomi Tella, alongside…

Agents of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) were on Saturday accused of ballot manipulation after being caught with thumb-printed ballot papers during the Anambra by-election. The incident occurred at Aguata High School, Ekwulobia, where eyewitnesses alleged that the intercepted materials consisted of multiple ballot sheets already thumb-printed in favour of the party. A video obtained from the scene showed bundles of ballot papers allegedly being smuggled into the polling unit. In the footage, a voice was heard saying: > “This is what we discovered: ballot papers already thumb-printed. They were trying to smuggle it into the ballot box before our…

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State on Saturday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of unleashing violence during the Anambra South senatorial by-election, alleging that his Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Felix Odimegwu, was physically assaulted. Soludo, who spoke to journalists shortly after casting his ballot at polling unit 002, Ofiyi Square, Isuofia ward in Aguata Local Government Area, described the incident as “shocking but not unexpected.” According to him, Odimegwu was attacked at Ezinifite in Nnewi South LGA by thugs allegedly moving around with the APC governorship candidate in the state. “Just in the last few minutes, I got a…

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old man, Bello Azeez, for allegedly staging his own kidnap to swindle his family and friends of ₦500,000. Azeez, a native of Ipele in Owo Local Government Area, was arrested on Saturday after investigators discovered that he masterminded the false abduction when his father declined his request for a loan to settle a personal debt. According to police sources, the suspect, who had earlier informed relatives that he was travelling to Ibadan, began making frantic calls, claiming he had been abducted and demanding ransom for his release. Disturbed by the development, his…

Nigeria’s fight against terrorism recorded a significant victory with the capture of two top leaders of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru terrorist group, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday. Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Ribadu described the operation as “the most decisive blow” yet against the extremist group, stressing that the arrests have dismantled Ansaru’s central command structure. The intelligence-led operation, conducted between May and July, targeted Ansaru enclaves around Kainji National Park, which stretches across Niger and Kwara states and connects to networks in the Benin Republic. The NSA identified the suspects as Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known…

The Kano State Police Command on Saturday said it had arrested no fewer than 288 suspected political thugs for disrupting the rerun and by-elections across the state. The command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the suspects were apprehended in different parts of Kano while attempting to unleash violence on voters and election officials. According to him, dangerous weapons, including a pump-action rifle, locally-made guns, knives, and cutlasses, were recovered from the suspects. Kiyawa explained that the arrests were part of the police strategy to maintain law and order during the election, stressing that…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the just-concluded bye-election in Shanono/Bagwai constituency and the rerun in Ghari constituency of Kano State, alleging widespread violence and electoral malpractice. In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the party claimed that armed thugs unleashed mayhem across several polling units, forcing voters to flee and overwhelming security operatives deployed for the exercise. The APC maintained that the credibility of the election was compromised, adding that proceeding with the results under such conditions would set a dangerous precedent for…

More than 2,000 secondary school students have enrolled in the 2025 holiday coaching programme organised by the Tola Adebajo Foundation (TAF), as community stakeholders renewed calls for stronger partnerships to boost Nigeria’s education sector. The initiative, which kicked off this week at St. James’ Anglican Primary School, Atikori, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, has recorded its highest turnout since inception, representing a 35 per cent increase compared to last year. Coordinator of the project, Hon. Femi Oluyemi, said the rising participation underscored the growing impact of the programme, which was introduced three years ago to provide academic support and keep students…

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the arrest of its chairman, Hon. Abayomi Tella, in the early hours of Saturday, describing it as a ploy to intimidate and disenfranchise its members ahead of the Remo federal constituency by-election. Director of Media and Communications of the party, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, in a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES, said Tella  was arrested at Kay hoy Hotel, Iperu Remo, around 3:30am by security operatives who allegedly broke into his hotel room in what he termed a “commando-style operation.” According to him, the PDP chairman was in…