Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A notorious terrorist commander, Kachalla Maha, has claimed that members of the Nigerian security forces deployed to hunt him are secretly working for his network and leaking classified operational information ahead of military offensives. The claim was contained in a viral audio recording in which the wanted kingpin allegedly held a conversation in Hausa with a government-linked intermediary identified only as “Comrade,” who repeatedly urged him to embrace peace and end the wave of killings across communities in Katsina State. In the recording, Maha, who has been linked to several deadly attacks in Katsina and the killing of retired General…

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Monday invaded Lassa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting an unspecified number of students writing the ongoing National Examinations Council examinations and several teachers, while killing at least one teacher. The attack, which occurred on a busy market day, threw the community into panic as the gunmen, reportedly dressed in military camouflage and riding motorcycles, stormed the town, firing sporadically before whisking away the victims. Residents told journalists that the insurgents struck while candidates were sitting for their NECO examination, taking the students and teachers to an unknown destination. A teacher…

Grace Adeleke Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has relieved all political aides serving in his administration of their appointments as part of a cabinet reshuffle aimed at injecting fresh energy into governance and creating opportunities for more members of the ruling party. The affected officials include all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, the Deputy Chief of Staff, and the Principal Private Secretary to the Governor. The development was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the Deputy Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mashood Agboola, who described the exercise as a minor cabinet shake-up. According to…

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday alleged that there were fresh moves by unnamed forces within the ruling establishment to prevent the ADC from participating in the 2027 general elections. Atiku claimed he had received “credible information” indicating that political and legal strategies were being coordinated to stop the opposition party from appearing on the ballot, warning that such a move would amount to a serious assault on Nigeria’s constitutional democracy. The allegation was contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. According to…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has threatened to take action against tertiary institutions allegedly withholding tuition refunds from students who paid their fees before receiving loans under the Federal Government’s Student Loan Scheme. NELFUND also expressed concern over what it described as arbitrary increases in tuition fees and other institutional charges by some higher institutions, warning that such practices undermine the objectives of the student loan initiative. In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Strategic Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, the Fund said it had received reports that some institutions were delaying or refusing to refund students whose tuition…

…Action comes hours after Abeokuta NBA announced three-day court shutdown Zaynab Abioye The industrial action by lawyers in Ogun State widened on Monday as the Nigerian Bar Association, Ota Branch, declared a three-day boycott of courts over what it described as anti-lawyer policies introduced by the state judiciary. The disclosure  came just hours after the NBA Abeokuta Branch announced a similar three-day boycott of courts in the state capital, signalling an escalation of the dispute between legal practitioners and the Ogun State Judiciary. In a notice signed by the Chairman of the NBA Ota Branch, Chief K.K. Ajose (Mrs.), and…

The Nigerian Bar Association, Abeokuta Branch, has directed its members to boycott courts across the Ogun State capital for three days in protest against what it described as anti-justice policies introduced by the state judiciary. The boycott, scheduled for July 6 to July 8, 2026, will affect proceedings at the Ogun State High Court, the Customary Court of Appeal, Magistrates’ Courts, and Customary Courts within Abeokuta. The directive was contained in a statement issued on Monday, by the branch’s Publicity Secretary, Abdulbasit Abolade Shuaib. According to the NBA, the decision followed months of unsuccessful engagements with the Ogun State Judiciary…

The Benue State Police Command has arrested 10 suspects in connection with the killing of the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in the state, Ardo Risku Mohammed, and another victim, Yakubu Isa. The command said the arrests followed intelligence-led operations carried out by its tactical teams on the night of Friday, June 27, in Otukpo Local Government Area. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Udeme Edet, disclosed the development in a statement on Saturday, describing the arrests as a major breakthrough in the investigation into the double murder. According to the police,…

…Probe Targets $2.79bn Rehabilitation Contracts …Ex-MDs, Contractors Implicated …Officials Accused Of Diverting Rehabilitation Funds Daud Olatunji  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered cash and assets worth N38.66bn in its sweeping investigation into the alleged diversion of funds allocated for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries, with several former and serving officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and contractors now facing possible prosecution. The anti-graft agency is probing the management of about $2.79bn released between 2021 and 2023 for the rehabilitation and turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries. Investigators allege that despite the huge…

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have killed an imam and three other residents and abducted 12 persons during a midnight attack on Illela Dawagware village in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The attackers, said to be about 30 in number, reportedly stormed the community on nine motorcycles at about 12:20 a.m. on Sunday, firing sporadically and operating for nearly 30 minutes before fleeing with their victims. Residents said the gunmen first invaded the residence of the village imam before killing him and three others. They thereafter moved from house to house, abducting eight women and four men. A…