Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Ondo State Police Command has rescued a four-year-old girl, Jesinta Kingsley, who was sold to a child-trafficking syndicate for N3.7 million and later found in Asaba, Delta State. The victim, daughter of Mr. Sunday Kingsley of Alagbaka Extension, Akure, was declared missing while in the care of her mother, Sunday Happiness. The incident was initially reported to the police, leading to the arraignment of some suspects before a Family Magistrate Court. They were later granted bail. However, a major breakthrough came when the distraught father spotted his daughter in Asaba and immediately alerted the police. Acting on the tip-off,…

President Bola Tinubu on Saturday vowed that his administration would continue to protect Nigerians from poverty, unemployment, and terrorism, stressing that insecurity cannot be solved through military action alone. Speaking at the passing-out parade of Cadets of the 72 Regular Course, Short Service Course 48, and Direct Short Service Course in Kaduna, Tinubu—represented by Senate President Godswill Akpabio—said his government was pursuing a holistic approach that addresses the economic and social factors fuelling insecurity. He said, “My administration has remained unrelenting in our resolve to provide a holistically safe society for all our citizens by implementing programmes and policies that…

The management of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has expelled 57 students for their involvement in various forms of examination misconduct. The university’s Senate also ordered the rustication of eight students for lesser infractions, while two others were cleared after investigations exonerated them. One case was deferred pending further probe. The decisions were reached at the Senate’s 427th meeting held on Wednesday, and ratified in line with the institution’s General Examination and Academic Regulations (GEAR) and other relevant policies. A statement issued by the Director of Examinations, Admissions and Records (DEAR), Dr. Aminu Wada Kurawa, stressed that the measures were part…

The Ogun State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to making tourism a key driver of inclusive growth, empowerment, and economic diversification, in a bid to reposition the state as Nigeria’s foremost destination for cultural and creative tourism. Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by his deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, made this pledge at the 48th edition of World Tourism Day held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, with the theme “Tourism for Sustainable Transformation.” Abiodun said his administration had deliberately gone beyond physical infrastructure to promote tourism through inclusivity and empowerment. He noted that the state has introduced skill acquisition…

Lafarge Africa Plc has rolled out the 2025 edition of its flagship female empowerment programme, BuildHer by Lafarge, aimed at training women in tiling and block-laying, two professions traditionally dominated by men. The initiative, which kicked off in Lagos, Ogun, and Cross River states, will equip 100 women from low-income communities with technical, entrepreneurial, and financial literacy skills over an intensive eight-week period. Speaking at the launch, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said the programme underscores the company’s commitment to sustainable female empowerment and poverty reduction. “With our female tilers and block-laying training programme,…

Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has faulted the reported use of ₦600 million in public funds to sponsor the wives of 21 local government chairmen in Adamawa State on a trip to Turkey. Obi described the expenditure, said to be packaged as a “leadership training,” as a reckless waste of scarce resources at a time when millions of Nigerians are grappling with poverty and children are out of school. In a statement on Saturday, the former governor said the decision amounted to “a mockery of the very essence of governance.” “While our children…

The Nigerian Naira has been ranked the ninth weakest currency in Africa, according to the latest September 2025 report by Forbes Currency Calculator, raising fresh concerns about the state of the economy despite recent gains in inflation control. Forbes, which updates exchange rates every five minutes using data from the Open Exchange Rates API, placed the Naira at ₦1,490 to a dollar, ranking behind currencies such as the São Tomé & Príncipe Dobra (22,282/$1), Sierra Leonean Leone (20,970/$1), and Guinean Franc (8,680/$1). Others ahead of Nigeria include the Ugandan Shilling (3,503/$1), Burundian Franc (2,968/$1), Congolese Franc (2,811/$1), Tanzanian Shilling (2,465/$1),…

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has raised fresh concerns over the activities of informants aiding terrorists and bandits across northern Nigeria, describing them as “worse than the insurgents themselves.” Speaking in Birnin Kebbi during a visit to traditional rulers and community leaders, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Brigadier General Tukur Ismail Gusau, lamented that the menace of informants was undermining ongoing military operations. “They are everywhere and in every place. Informants are the major impediments to our efforts in defeating terrorism and banditry,” Gusau said, stressing that the military’s success largely depends on the cooperation of citizens. According to him,…

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of the National Traditional Rulers Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Saturday, paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The monarch, who had been in the South-West since Thursday for the coronation of former Oyo State Governor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, visited the Adetona royal household to commiserate with the family of the revered traditional ruler. The Sultan, accompanied by the President of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), Alhaji…

Former Ogun State governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has raised alarm over the deplorable state of roads in Ijebu North East Local Government, urging the state government to urgently intervene to save residents and businesses from further hardship. Speaking at the Midterm Community Assessment and Review Tour of the BATOGD Movement in Ijebu North East, Daniel lamented that many of the roads have been abandoned for decades despite their importance to the socio-economic life of the people. “The condition of our road infrastructure is dire, and rehabilitation can no longer be delayed. We therefore implore the…