Author: Platform Times Newspaper

….Lawmakers Cite  Repeated Refusal To Honour Invitations …Probe Linked To NNPCL Accounts From 2017–202 Daud Olatunji The Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday ordered the arrest of a former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, over his alleged refusal to honour multiple invitations in an ongoing probe of the oil firm’s finances. The panel’s directive followed mounting concerns over unresolved audit queries involving over N210tn in the company’s accounts spanning 2017 to 2023. Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Dankwambo, issued the order after a motion moved by Victor Umeh and seconded by…

The war of words between Peter Obi and his former spokesman, Kenneth Okonkwo, escalated on Wednesday, with the latter threatening to release “confidential information” amid a N5bn defamation suit filed by the former Anambra State governor. Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, had through his lawyers demanded N5 billion in damages and a public apology from Okonkwo over alleged defamatory remarks made during a television interview. In a letter dated June 9, 2026, Obi’s legal team, led by Alex Ejesieme (SAN), accused Okonkwo of making “false, malicious and defamatory allegations” during an appearance on Sunrise Daily, a…

A 23-year-old Nigerian returnee, Endurance Daniel, has recounted a harrowing migration journey in which seven out of 52 passengers died, while survivors were forced to drink urine to stay alive during a weeks-long desert crossing en route to Libya. Daniel spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) shortly after returning to the country under a voluntary repatriation programme supported by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). She said she was deceived at age 17 with promises of legitimate work abroad, but ended up trapped in a trafficking network that exposed her to extreme dehydration, exploitation and abuse. “We spent…

A senatorial aspirant under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has lodged a petition before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), accusing members of the party’s senatorial screening committee of allegedly obtaining N20 million through fraudulent inducement, coercion, and misrepresentation. Sources familiar with the development said the petition was submitted at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, with the aspirant alleging that he was pressured into making the payment despite having fulfilled all official requirements for participation in the party’s nomination process. The identity of the aspirant has been withheld due to the ongoing investigation. According to…

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements with the Government of Ethiopia for the transfer of more than 100 Nigerian inmates serving various jail terms in Ethiopian correctional facilities, in a bilateral agreement aimed at easing prison congestion and strengthening consular protection for citizens abroad. The agreement, which is expected to be formally signed on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, will allow eligible Nigerian prisoners to be repatriated to serve the remainder of their sentences in Nigeria under a structured prisoner transfer framework. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who led the Nigerian delegation to the Ethiopian capital, confirmed the development,…

The Convener of the Ogun West Initiative, Olootu Bolaji Adeniji, has urged residents of Ogun State to rally behind the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, insisting that he will deliver “exponential growth, development and progress” if elected in 2027. Adeniji, who spoke at a media engagement in Abeokuta, said Adeola remains the “undisputed choice” for the office of governor, adding that his leadership credentials were built on years of service, dedication and measurable results rather than political sentiment. He disclosed that the APC candidate would soon present a detailed manifesto and economic blueprint to…

A proposal by Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, to introduce a single six-year tenure for Nigeria’s president and state governors has drawn sharp criticism from public affairs analysts and citizens, who described the move as a misplaced priority amid pressing national challenges. Bamidele had on Monday unveiled plans to sponsor a constitutional amendment bill seeking to replace the current two-term, four-year tenure system with a single, non-renewable six-year term. He said the bill would form part of his legislative agenda when lawmakers reconvene after the 2027 general elections. According to him, the proposal is aimed at curbing the distractions associated with…

A man, Ibrahim Tanko, has dragged his former fiancée, Abigail Hammam, and her mother, Hannatu, before an Upper Area Court in Mararaba Gurku, Abuja, over an alleged breach of agreement to formalise their marriage, amid a deepening custody dispute over their daughter. Tanko, in a suit filed before the court, accused the defendants of reneging on earlier commitments that would have culminated in a formal union, despite years of relationship and family-level discussions. According to the plaintiff, he met Hammam in 2012 and subsequently sought her hand in marriage. He said her mother granted conditional approval for the marriage rites,…

Bandits on Wednesday stormed Government Secondary School, Iluke Bunu, in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing a vice principal and two others, while targeting students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the assailants, who reportedly rode into the community on motorcycles around 9:45am, attacked examination centres where candidates from neighbouring communities had assembled for the ongoing WASSCE. Among those killed was the Vice Principal of Government Secondary School, Aharha-Bunu, Mr. Gani Anifowose. Two other victims — identified as Mr. Sunday Jacob Alhassan, 70, and a six-year-old boy, Sunday Ayele — were also…

The Federal Government says 1,859 Nigerian families across 25 states have accessed a total of N128 billion in housing loans under its expanded mortgage intervention scheme, as part of efforts to tackle the country’s deep housing deficit. President Bola Tinubu disclosed the development on Tuesday, noting that the beneficiaries obtained long-term mortgages through the MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund at a single-digit fixed interest rate of 9.75 per cent, repayable over 20 years. He said the intervention marks a major shift in housing finance accessibility, especially for middle- and low-income Nigerians who have long been locked out of formal mortgage…