Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji A 13-year-old student of Ihyau El-Burhan Academy, Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhassan Jamil, has been swept away by flood while riding to school with his father. The incident occurred on Wednesday at a flooded channel around a double-cell culvert as the boy’s father, Jamil Maikasuwa, attempted to cross the waterway on a motorcycle. Maikasuwa, who is the Special Assistant to the Chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council on Domestic Affairs, said he was taking his son from their Old Kutunku residence to school when he noticed that the floodwater was moving rapidly. He said he…

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspected member of a syndicate allegedly impersonating the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Professor Segun Aina, to defraud members of the public. The police said the suspect, identified as Nwogba Arinze, was arrested in Anambra State on August 27, 2026, after investigators traced telephone numbers and bank accounts allegedly linked to the fraudulent operation. The Force also declared one Nnabuife Nwekpa, described as Arinze’s close relative and the alleged principal suspect, wanted, saying efforts were ongoing to locate and arrest him. The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed…

Daud Olatunji Sixty-eight Nigerians have been awarded the 2026 Chevening and Commonwealth scholarships by the United Kingdom Government to pursue master’s and doctoral programmes in various fields in the UK. The British High Commission disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, noting that pre-departure ceremonies were held for the successful scholars in Abuja and Lagos. Of the 68 beneficiaries, 12 were selected for the prestigious Chevening scholarships, while 56 received Commonwealth scholarships. The Chargé d’Affaires of the British High Commission in Abuja, Vicky Seymour, congratulated the scholars, describing their selection as an achievement made possible through a highly competitive application…

Oluwanifemi Ibikunle The Benue State Police Command has arrested 46 persons in connection with the alleged attack on the convoy of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Cletus Nwadiogbu, disclosed the arrests on Wednesday, saying investigations were ongoing to identify other persons allegedly involved in the incident. Nwadiogbu said some key leaders suspected to have mobilised youths for the incident were still being tracked by the police. He warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance, violence or other forms of disorder as the 2027 general elections approach. The commissioner…

Oluwanifemi Ibikunle The Federal Government has released eight months of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance owed to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country. The allowance, covering January to August 2026, is expected to provide financial support to lecturers and other eligible academic personnel for the purchase of tools and materials required for teaching, research and related academic duties. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation. Alausa said the release was in line with the provisions of the 2025 agreement between the Federal…

Zainab Abioye The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has come under fire after his comments questioning the practice of citizens recording police officers on duty triggered a heated debate over police accountability and transparency. Disu’s position has prompted Nigerians on X to demand the deployment of body-worn cameras for police officers, arguing that the technology would provide an independent record of police-citizen encounters and help protect both members of the public and officers from disputed or misleading accounts of incidents. The IGP spoke on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, and…

Zainab Abioye & Mujeeb Akindoyin The battle over who should fly the opposition’s presidential flag in the 2027 general election has triggered heated reactions on social media, with Nigerians divided over whether former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi or Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde should step aside for a consensus candidate. The debate followed renewed calls for opposition politicians to reach an agreement and present a single formidable candidate capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress at the 2027 poll. While supporters of the various political figures have continued to…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of driving Nigerian businesses into deeper financial distress while foreign investors increasingly withdraw their funds from the country. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, made the allegations in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. The former vice-president based his claim partly on data from the Nigerian Exchange, which showed that foreign investors brought N513.36bn into the Nigerian equities market between January and July 2026 but withdrew N779.43bn during the same period. The figures, according to Atiku,…

Toyyibah Quasim The Egba Christian Chiefs Council has honoured the memory of the late Chief John Owolotan Okenla, a revered Christian warrior and pioneer of the faith in Egba land, 144 years after his death. The anniversary was marked with a Thanksgiving Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Oke-Saje, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where Christian leaders and dignitaries celebrated Okenla’s contributions to the growth and spread of Christianity among the Egba people. Delivering the sermon at the service, Rev. Dr. Olurotimi Afuwape urged Christians to draw inspiration from the sacrifices of past Christian leaders while keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Jesus…

Okiwanifemi Ibikunle The Osun State Police Command has arrested a woman following the sudden death of a vigilante member identified as Sunday, popularly known as Apetu, after a sexual encounter in Ile-Ife. The incident occurred around 2:30pm on Sunday in the Odi-Olokun area of Ile-Ife, throwing residents into confusion as conflicting accounts emerged over the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. Apetu reportedly became critically distressed shortly after the encounter at Ooni Ilare Street. A video circulating on social media showed the man in apparent distress, with reports indicating that he was gasping and screaming while pleading with the woman to…