Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Armed men suspected to be “repentant bandits” have killed a commercial driver identified as Mallam Ibrahim Adamu and abducted nine other persons in separate attacks along the Kaduna–Birnin Gwari Highway and nearby farming communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area. PLATFORM TIMES reports that in the first attack at Kwanan Giginya axis of the highway, the gunmen reportedly opened fire on a commercial vehicle conveying passengers, killing the driver on the spot. The victim, identified as Mallam Ibrahim Adamu, was said to be the grandson of a district head in the Birnin Gwari Emirate. A family source said the attackers…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed that Nigeria saved ₦61.58 billion through strategic fertiliser procurement reforms while securing more than 449,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser inputs despite disruptions in the global supply chain. Tinubu, in a statement on his official page on Wednesday, said the intervention was achieved under the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative (PFI), which has been restructured under the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) to strengthen procurement efficiency and cushion the impact of global market volatility. He said rising geopolitical tensions, particularly conflicts in the Middle East, triggered major disruptions in global fertiliser supply chains, with attendant risks to…

Tensions escalated sharply in the Middle East on Friday as the Islamic Republic of Iran declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the United States of breaching a recently signed memorandum of understanding and worsening regional instability. The announcement was made by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an entity within Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, through maritime radio channels monitored in the Gulf region, according to reports cited by New York Post. The strategic waterway, the Strait of Hormuz, is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, handling a significant share of global crude exports from…

There were mixed developments across several local government areas of Ekiti State on Friday evening as the Independent National Electoral Commission finalised preparations for Saturday’s governorship election, with delays, logistical gaps and pockets of efficient deployment recorded. Findings from multiple Registration Area Centres (RACs) across the state on Thursday, as provided by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to PLATFORM TIMES, indicated that while some centres were fully set up with electoral materials and personnel, others remained deserted or received materials late, raising concerns over uniform readiness. In Oye Local Government Area, St. Mary Primary School RAC serving Oye…

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has approved the appointment of Chief Superintendent of Police, Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, as the new Force Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force. The appointment, which was announced on Friday, comes barely three months after Deputy Commissioner of Police, Anthony Okon Placid, assumed office as the police spokesperson. In a statement issued by Placid, Iniedu was described as a seasoned officer with extensive experience in public communication, intelligence management, operational policing, and institutional accountability. According to the statement, the new FPRO hails from Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and…

The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Bode Ojajuni, has raised concern over what he described as the growing moral decadence in Nigeria, urging public relations practitioners to deploy their expertise in addressing the trend. Ojajuni made the call on Friday while receiving members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ogun State chapter, at the command headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta. Describing PR professionals as critical agents of social change, the police boss said their training and influence placed them in a strategic position to drive moral reorientation and promote ethical values across society. He blamed the rising indiscipline, particularly…

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Friday intensified preparations for the Ondo South Senatorial District bye-election, deploying personnel and sensitive materials to riverine and other hard-to-reach areas of Ilaje Local Government Area. The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, Prof. Ayobami Salami, who monitored the exercise, arrived in Ilaje around 4:30 p.m. alongside the Electoral Officer for the council, Mr. Tope Onajobi, to oversee the distribution of materials to Registration Area Centres. Officials of the commission were seen moving electoral materials under tight supervision, particularly to remote communities accessible mainly by waterways, in a bid to forestall logistical delays on…

Daud Olatunji As preparations intensify ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, electoral logistics across several local government areas have shown a mixed pattern of smooth distribution, personnel deployment, and welfare concerns for ad hoc staff. Findings from multiple Registration Area Centres (RACs) across the state on Thursday, as provided by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to PLATFORM TIMES, indicated that while election materials were being distributed in several locations without major disruptions, gaps in welfare provision, delayed mobilisation in some centres, and minor disagreements over deployment arrangements were also recorded. In Oye Local Government Area,…

Stakeholders across Ogun State have called for intensified community education, youth-friendly health services, and stronger policy enforcement to protect the reproductive health rights of women and girls, following a series of town hall meetings held across the state’s three senatorial districts. The engagements, organised by Gender Development Initiative (GenDi) in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), were held on May 14, June 5, and June 17, 2026, across Ogun East, Ogun West, and Ogun Central Senatorial Districts. The meetings brought together youth leaders, women’s groups, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, health professionals, and local government…

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a proscribed separatist movement, has announced the indefinite suspension of its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, citing what it described as “unguarded utterances” and concerns over internal security and operational control. The group also said Kanu has been removed as Director of Radio Biafra as part of a sweeping internal restructuring aimed at repositioning its leadership architecture. In a statement issued on Thursday by Chikadibia Edoziem, Head of the Directorate of State (DOS), the organisation’s highest decision-making body, IPOB insisted that it was not founded as a one-man movement but as a collective self-determination platform…