Author: Platform Times Newspaper

By TEMITAYO AJILA I write this appeal from the depths of my heart to the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, Odundun II; the Iwarafa Mefa; and all sons and daughters of Akure, including many distinguished Nigerians. I plead for understanding and unity among all communities of the Akure District – Akure, Isolo, Isinkan, Oba-Ile, Ita-Ogbolu, Ilara-Mokin, Igbara-Oke, Ijare, and others, with particular attention to the three autonomous communities at the heart of the state capital: Akure, Isolo, and Isinkan. This appeal is necessary because discord and conflict benefit no one. The persistent tension, especially between Akure and its…

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced that it will begin taking ownership of 4,793 landed properties, including the headquarters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following revocation of titles over non-payment of ground rent spanning up to 43 years The exercise is scheduled to commence on Monday, May 26, 2025, and affects prime districts such as the Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape. Officials who disclosed this during a press briefing on Friday included the FCT Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media, Mr. Lere Olayinka;…

The Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police Force have arrested 20 suspects in connection with a sophisticated hacking operation that targeted the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, PLATFORM TIMES has learnt. Security sources revealed that the suspects, currently in custody in Abuja, are part of a sprawling syndicate of over 100 individuals accused of infiltrating the computer-based testing (CBT) system of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The same network is also believed to have targeted the National Examinations Council (NECO). Investigations show the group deployed illicit software to breach JAMB’s servers at designated…

A Nigerian scholar and Presidential awardee, Jacobs Williams Okpe, has died in the United Kingdom amid a prolonged wait for his PhD scholarship funds, ten years after being honoured by the Federal Government. Okpe, who passed away on May 18 in Manchester, was one of 164 outstanding Nigerian youths conferred with a national award and a three-part scholarship package by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March 2015. The package comprised funding for a Master’s and PhD programme, along with federal employment. While about 80 of the awardees, largely placed under the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), received full sponsorship and…

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…