Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Two convicted kidnappers have been handed a cumulative 30-year jail term each by an Ekiti State High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, while another, Lawal Ahmadu, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Kogi High Court for a separate abduction case. In Ekiti, Justice Adeniyi Familoni convicted Ojo Babajide (31) and Olajide Nathaniel (35) on charges of conspiracy and kidnapping, in violation of Sections 280 and 279 of the state’s Criminal Law (2021). The judge decried the persistent menace of kidnapping and stressed the need for deterrent sentences. “The incidents of kidnapping in our communities appear unabated despite genuine and…

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has ordered members of his cabinet and other political appointees to either defect with him to the All Progressives Congress (APC) or resign their appointments immediately. The governor gave the directive during a State Executive Council meeting on Thursday in Uyo, where he officially declared his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling APC. According to sources present at the meeting, Governor Eno expressed no regrets over his political switch, saying his decision was motivated by a desire to align more closely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration at…

A serving officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Constable Idris Oloyede, has been declared wanted by the Ogun State Police Command after escaping from custody barely five hours following his arrest for alleged involvement in cybercrime and other criminal activities. PLATFORM TIMES reports that Oloyede, popularly known as “Abuja” and attached to the Odeda Divisional Police Headquarters, was reportedly apprehended around 6:10pm on Wednesday, May 21, by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit. He was also reportedly  being investigated for conspiracy, robbery, stealing and aiding cybercrime operations in the state. The Command, in a signal, disclosed that the officer escaped at…

Alarmed by a surge in criminal activities, including kidnappings and killings, residents of the Issele-Uku community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State have turned to spiritual intervention, laying curses on those behind the wave of terror sweeping the once-tranquil town. The decision followed an emergency meeting held at the inner chamber of the palace, presided over by the traditional ruler of Issele-Uku Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Obi Nduka. In attendance were the spiritual head of the community (Eze-Dibie), titled elders, and palace chiefs. Addressing residents at the palace frontage (Ishu Uge), Obi Nduka lamented the deteriorating security…

The Federal Government has decried the growing trend of Nigerian students who fail to return home after benefiting from foreign scholarships, revealing that a staggering 85 per cent of such beneficiaries do not contribute to national development upon completion of their studies abroad. The Minister of Education, Mr. Tunji Alausa, made this known on Friday during a one-day engagement with heads of institutions, bursars and procurement officers in Lagos. He said the government was overhauling the funding architecture of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and foreign scholarship schemes to ensure better value for public resources. “Our evidence-based analysis showed…

Daud Olatunji The ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, tagged Gateway Games, has been thrown into turmoil following separate incidents of misconduct involving kickboxing and cycling officials in  Ogun State. On Wednesday, pandemonium broke out at the kickboxing venue as rival officials of the Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria (KBFN) engaged in a physical altercation over control of officiating duties. The clash, which stemmed from a lingering leadership crisis within the federation, saw the technical director, identified as Kevin—allegedly handpicked by an embattled factional president—arrested by police following the scuffle. The competition was immediately suspended, disrupting Wednesday’s scheduled bouts. Sources revealed that…

The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prof. Adewale Musa-Olomu, has expressed satisfaction with the achievements recorded during his eight-year tenure, as he prepares to bow out of office on May 31, 2025. Speaking during a press conference held on Thursday at the Telemedicine Conference Hall in Abeokuta, Musa-Olomu said his administration had transformed the hospital and taken it “to the promised land.” “When I assumed office, there was no single X-ray or ultrasound machine. Out of ten theatres, only one was working. “The hospital lacked basic infrastructure and couldn’t be considered a tertiary hospital…

Balqees Adeniji  In a bid to boost awareness and ensure accurate dissemination of information on the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, media stakeholders convened in Abeokuta on Thursday for a strategic engagement session organized by the Family Health Initiative of Ogun (FAHIO) in partnership with Pathfinder International, Nigeria. The event, held at the Primary Health Care Board conference room in Oke-Mosan, brought together journalists, health educators, and public health stakeholders to brainstorm on effective media strategies that will promote uptake of the HPV vaccine across the state. In her welcome address, FAHIO Chairperson, Mrs. Oluwakemi Balogun, commended the media for its…

A prominent advocacy group, the Ogun West Initiative (OWI), has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, for the successful upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro. The commendation followed the announcement by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday that President Tinubu had signed the bill into law. The bill, which had its first reading nearly nine years ago, was sponsored by Senator Adeola, who represents Ogun West Senatorial District in the National Assembly. In a statement issued Wednesday night, OWI described the development as “heartwarming and…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced another N15 reduction in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), marking yet another effort to ease the burden of fuel costs on Nigerians. Following this latest slash, PMS will now sell at N875 per litre in Lagos, N885 in the South West, N895 in the North West and North Central, and N905 in the South East, South South, and North East. The revised prices are effective immediately and will be implemented through all of Dangote Refinery’s distribution partners, including MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Techno Oil, and Hyde. In a statement…