Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Two suspected commanders of the terrorist group Ansaru, Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba, have admitted receiving weapons and explosives training in Libya, a State Security Service (SSS) operative told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday. The witness, appearing under the codename “Triple A,” testified as the first prosecution witness in the terrorism trial, explaining that the confessions were made in a “conducive atmosphere” without coercion. According to Triple A, the suspects received training in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from instructors from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria while in Libya. Usman, identified as the leader of Jama’atu…

… Most Nigerian Children Leave School Without Essential Skills … Reading proficiency at 12.7%, math at 6.3% for primary pupils …Health, Nutrition  Linked To Learning Outcomes Daud Olatunji Nigeria’s primary school pupils are struggling to acquire basic reading and mathematics skills, with only 1 in 10 children meeting minimum learning standards, a new report has revealed. The National Primary-Level Learning Proficiency Statistics from Africa, compiled by education researcher Martin Gustafsson, shows that just 9.5 per cent of Nigerian pupils reach the required level of proficiency by the end of primary school. The study analysed harmonised assessment data from 47 African…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arraigned a cargo vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, alongside 10 Filipino nationals before the Federal High Court in Lagos over the alleged importation of 20 kilogrammes of cocaine into Nigeria. The suspects were brought before Justice Ayokunle Faji on Monday on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and unlawful importation of narcotics. Prosecuting counsel for the anti-drug agency, Theresa Asuquo, told the court that the defendants were arrested on November 16, 2025, at the GDNL Terminal of the Apapa Port in Lagos. She alleged that the accused persons conspired to smuggle 20 kilogrammes of…

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of allegedly working with Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo to intimidate opposition figures ahead of future elections. Atiku, through his spokesman, Paul Ibe, alleged on Monday that Igboho was acting as a “militia” for the current administration and warned that his recent statements threatening opposition campaign activities in the South-West could heighten political tension across the country. Igboho had reportedly warned supporters of Atiku and Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, against campaigning in the South-West region ahead of the next electoral cycle. Reacting, Ibe claimed the separatist…

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has rescued seven victims of human trafficking and arrested four suspects allegedly involved in a cross-border trafficking syndicate operating within the state. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Uyo on Monday, noting that the arrests followed a coordinated stop-and-search operation carried out by police operatives along the Ikot Ekpene–Aba Road. John said the operation was initiated after the police received intelligence about a vehicle suspected to be conveying young persons believed to be victims of human trafficking. According to her, police operatives swiftly intercepted the vehicle during…

The Anambra State Police Command has detained six police officers attached to the Okpoko Police Division in Onitsha over the alleged extortion of N200,000 from a civilian. The officers were detained following the circulation of a viral video in which the wife of the victim accused the policemen of harassing and forcing her husband, a drink seller, to transfer money to them through a Point of Sale operator. The incident reportedly occurred over the weekend around the busy Upper Iweka axis of the Onitsha–Awka–Enugu Expressway. According to the woman in the video, her husband had gone to Relief Market in…

Residents of Maiduguri were thrown into panic on Monday evening after a suspected double bomb explosion struck the popular Monday Market and the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital shortly after the Muslim breaking of fast. The explosions reportedly occurred around 7:20 p.m., moments after iftar, sending residents and traders fleeing the affected areas. The spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Kenneth Daso, confirmed the incident in a statement posted on his X handle on Monday. According to him, security operatives and emergency responders were immediately deployed to the affected locations following reports of the explosions.…

Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Germany, Femi Fani-Kayode, has criticised media entrepreneur and politician Dele Momodu over his remarks comparing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the regime of late military ruler Sani Abacha. Momodu, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, had during an interview on Channels Television warned that Tinubu’s leadership style suggested the tendencies of a potential dictator, adding that some critics had begun to liken the current administration to the Abacha era. Reacting in a statement shared on his X handle on Monday, Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation, dismissed Momodu’s comments as misguided and unfair,…

Members of the Mace Club of Nigeria have elected Mace (Chief) Aliu Ajani Odunmbaku, PhD, as the 12th President of the club following a keenly contested election held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the election, which attracted members from within and outside the state capital, was conducted by a three-member Mace Electoral Commission chaired by Mace Soji Sogbolu, with Maces Babatunde Oduwaiye and Temitope Lasilo serving as members. Other officers elected alongside Odunmbaku include Mace Toyin Obatosin, Esq., as Vice President; Mace Engr. Jide Adebayo as General Secretary; and Mace Edward Lasilo as Director of Socials and…

Millions of Nigerians are grappling with a worsening housing crisis as tenants and prospective homebuyers now spend far above the global affordability threshold on rent, with many allocating as much as 60 to 70 per cent of their income to accommodation. The development, which experts say reflects deepening pressure in the country’s housing market, far exceeds the 30 per cent rent-to-income benchmark recommended by the United Nations for sustainable and affordable housing. Findings indicate that the sharp rise in rents across major cities including Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt over the past two years has significantly overstretched the finances of…