Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government has commenced urgent evacuation of Nigerians stranded in South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks, with no fewer than 742 citizens expected to be airlifted home before June 30, 2026. The evacuation, confirmed on Thursday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, comes amid rising tension and reported assaults targeting foreign nationals in parts of South Africa. Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media, Magnus Eze, assured that the Tinubu administration would not abandon any Nigerian who has voluntarily chosen to return home due to safety concerns. According to…

Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, has ruled out any form of negotiation with armed groups terrorising the state, insisting that his administration will continue to confront banditry through sustained security operations. Lawal made the position known on Thursday while reacting to ongoing insecurity concerns and renewed calls by some stakeholders for dialogue with bandits as a pathway to peace. The governor maintained that engaging criminal groups in negotiations would amount to legitimising violence and weakening state authority, stressing that government must not appear inferior to non-state actors. “I do not accept that terrorists are stronger than the government. Therefore,…

A major political shake-up hit Ogun State on Thursday as a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Egba Agenda Forum, High Chief Mustapha Abdulhakeem O. (MAO), defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), mobilising over 8,000 supporters in a move that further reshaped early alignments ahead of the 2027 governorship election. MAO, a former House of Assembly aspirant for Constituency 1 and former coordinator of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s 2023 re-election campaign, made the declaration at the 2026 Egba Agenda Convention, where he formally announced his exit from the APC and pitched his political structure behind…

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu admitted to political leaders that he could not guarantee a free and fair election while seeking re-election in 2027. Adebayo made the claim during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, raising fresh concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the next general elections. According to him, the President made the remarks during an Iftar meeting in Abuja attended by members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the ruling All Progressives Congress, and other stakeholders. He alleged that Tinubu, when confronted by…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday sentenced three persons to death by hanging for terrorism-related offences, while others received life imprisonment and long jail terms in the ongoing mass trial of terror suspects. The convicts — Danladi Lawal, Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu — were handed capital punishment after pleading guilty to charges filed against them by the Federal Government. Justice James Omotosho sentenced Lawal, also known as Dankawu, to death by hanging on one of the five counts preferred against him. The judge also imposed 30 years’ imprisonment on count one, 15 years on count…

Former Governor of Osun State and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday called on voters in Ekiti State to use the forthcoming governorship election to “rescue” Nigeria from what he described as failing leadership. Aregbesola made the appeal during the party’s grand finale rally held in Ado-Ekiti ahead of the June 20 governorship poll, warning that the country had “entered one chance” and required urgent redirection through the ballot. Addressing party supporters, the former minister decried worsening economic hardship and governance challenges, insisting that citizens must take responsibility for shaping the nation’s future by voting…

The Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has  announced plans to establish a special court to fast-track the prosecution of kidnapping and cultism cases, as part of renewed efforts to tackle rising insecurity in the state. Okpebholo disclosed this at the Edo State Police Command headquarters in Benin City during the parade of suspected kidnappers and other criminal suspects arrested in recent operations. He said the proposed court would ensure speedy trials, stressing that cases involving kidnapping and cult-related offences would be concluded within weeks. “We are going to set up a special court to try suspected kidnappers and cultists. Within…

Retired military officers have called for sweeping reforms of Nigeria’s security architecture following the death of a former Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Rabe Abubakar (retd.), who died after being abducted by bandits in Katsina State. The demand was made on Thursday at a press conference in Kaduna, where a coalition of retired senior officers described the incident as a grim reflection of the worsening insecurity across the country. Speaking on behalf of the group, Brigadier General Isma’ila Abdullahi (retd.) said the killing of the late general underscored systemic failures in safeguarding lives and property. “Our colleague, friend…

United States President, Donald Trump, has said the airstrike on a school in Iran that reportedly killed over 160 children during the early phase of “Operation Epic Fury” was not deliberate, insisting that the incident is under investigation. Trump made his first public remarks on the tragedy while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, where he came under renewed pressure over rising civilian casualties linked to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict. The strike, which occurred in the southern Iranian city of Minab, has triggered widespread international condemnation, with human rights groups and anti-war organisations demanding an independent probe…

The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has disclosed that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is grappling with what he described as “extremely difficult” bail conditions in his ongoing fraud trial. El-Rufai has remained in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19 over allegations of financial impropriety during his tenure between 2015 and 2023. The anti-graft agency had, on April 13, arraigned the former governor before a Kaduna State High Court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office. Speaking with journalists after a public…