Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A police operative has shot dead a commercial bus driver in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east. The incident occurred on Saturday in Otuocha, a community in Anambra East Local Government Area of the state. This is happening two weeks after a police inspector, Joseph Ozonwanji, shot dead a Nigerian musician, Chikezie Okezie Mba, when he visited the Anti-Cult Unit of the Enugu State Police Command. Sources said that the operative allegedly shot the driver, identified simply as Kamtochukwu after the driver refused to give a N100 bribe to a police team at a checkpoint in the area. “The officer and the…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Hauwau Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim, the Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) (FCET), Gusau, Zamfara State, along with Abdullahi Boyi, a lecturer at the Sokoto State College of Education (SSCE), for alleged forgery. The two were brought before the Sokoto State High Court, presided over by Justice Muhammad Aliyu Sambo, on a six-count charge of forgery and false statements, under case number SS/213c/2024. ICPC spokesperson Demola Bakare confirmed the charges against the defendants, which include allegations of using forged documents to secure Abdulkarim’s position as Provost at…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confiscated over N4 billion worth of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja. NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi said in a statement on Sunday in Lagos that operatives confiscated the consignments in 845 wraps on October 29. He added that the consignments, weighing 18.72 kilogrammes, were concealed in two lavatories of an Ethiopian-bound flight and that they were found during post-landing cleaning of the cabin. Mr Babafemi said the illicit consignments were wrapped in polythene bags and hidden in the waste collectors in the two rear lavatories of the aircraft when…

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 130 suspects comprising 113 foreign nationals (87 males and 26 females) for their alleged involvement in high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities that threaten national security. The foreign nationals are primarily of Chinese and Malaysian origin. Seventeen (four males and three females) others were identified by the police as their Nigerian. ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, in a statement on Sunday, said, “This strategic operation was conducted through a coordinated raid on a building at the Next Cash and Carry area of Jahi, Abuja, where the suspects were reportedly using computers and other…

Today, I’m diving into Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, a book that took me longer than expected to finish—not because it wasn’t captivating, but because I’ve recently drifted away from the fantasy genre, gravitating more towards historical fiction. Still, I know this is just a phase, and eventually, I’ll circle back to my fantasy roots.Tomi Adeyemi is a remarkably talented writer. Going into this book, I expected something akin to Harry Potter, one of the works that inspired her. But I quickly realized that Adeyemi is in a league of her own, delivering a richly woven tale…

A prominent advertising agency network, has solidified its reputation as an industry leader by winning multiple top accolades at the 2024 Brand Com Awards. The event, organized by Brand Com Magazine and held in Lagos, celebrated excellence in marketing communications, with Dentsu Nigeria emerging as a major honoree. For the second time in 2024, Dentsu Nigeria was awarded the Most Outstanding Marketing Communications Group, a testament to its innovative approach and consistent commitment to client success, according to Olalekan Raji, Corporate Communications Manager of Dentsu Nigeria. “This recognition underscores Dentsu Nigeria’s dedication to pushing boundaries in advertising and setting new…

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering N40.14 billion in road taxes to state governments in 2023, marking a 63.36 percent increase from the N24.57 billion collected in 2022. The significant rise in road tax collections highlights the growing role of these levies in supporting state finances. Lagos State, often recognized as Nigeria’s economic hub, led the states by a wide margin, generating N16.74 billion in road taxes, which accounted for 41.7 percent of the national total in 2023. This achievement is particularly noteworthy, as Lagos had no recorded revenue from road taxes in…

The International Press Centre (IPC) has revealed that 65 journalists and two media organizations in Nigeria experienced various forms of attack between January and September 2024. This finding was disclosed in a report released by IPC’s Safety and Protection of Journalists Hub (SPJ-Hub) on Saturday in Akure, as part of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The report recorded a total of 40 incidents of assault on journalists, ranging from harassment and intimidation to physical violence, unlawful detention, and, in some cases, gun threats. Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Ogun, Abuja, Oyo, Katsina, Abia, Delta, Enugu, Akwa…

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian universities to live up to expectations as vanguards of research, teaching and community service to improve human life and fast-track national development. Mr Tinubu made the call on Saturday at the ninth convocation ceremony of the Federal University Dutsin-ma, Katsina State. Represented by the vice-chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa, Abdulkarim Sabo-Mohammed, the president said: “Education is a cornerstone of national development. Therefore, it must be responsive and transformative. “I urge Nigerian universities to live up to expectations as vanguard of research, teaching and community service, in line with their tripartite mandate in…

The federal government has released the withheld salaries of striking non-academic staff in federal universities. Bawa Mokwa, the director of press at the office of the accountant-general of the federation (OSGF), spoke to TheCable on Saturday. He said disbursement covers the benefits payable to retirees under the contributory pension scheme of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners. On October 28, non-teaching staff unions in federal universities began an indefinite nationwide strike over withheld salaries from 2022. The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) are key stakeholders. Mokwa said the payment of withheld salaries has…