Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has sentenced a man, Dauda Yakubu, to six months of community service for dealing in illicit drugs. Yakubu was arrested with 91 grams of cannabis sativa, 900 grams of codeine-based cough syrup, and 38 grams of tramadol tablets. The convict was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge of unlawful dealing in narcotics. According to the charge sheet, Yakubu committed the offence on June 25, 2025, at the Alaba Rago area of Ojo, Lagos State. The NDLEA told the court that his actions contravened and…

Nigeria is grappling with a deepening security crisis as over six million illegal small arms and light weapons are now in the possession of non-state actors, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has warned. According to the agency, the figure represents 70 per cent of the 11 million illicit arms circulating in West Africa. The revelation was made on Thursday in Calabar by the South-South Zonal Director of the NCCSALW, Alex Ebimiebo, during the Naval Warfare Course 9 Inter-Agency seminar organised by the Naval War College. Presenting a paper titled “Strengthening Security Agencies’…

A tragic altercation among children in Karaku community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, has left a 10-year-old boy, Abubakar Lawal, dead and another child hospitalised. The incident, which occurred around 5:30pm on Monday, August 11, unfolded when Abubakar and his nine-year-old friend, Hassan Adamu Umar, were returning home after grazing their sheep along a bush path. According to police sources, the duo was allegedly confronted and blocked by four other minors — Musa Aliyu, 10; Umaru Abdullahi, 6; Maryam Abdullahi, 10; and Fulaira Jika, 4. During the confrontation, Musa Aliyu was said to have attacked both boys with…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will on Friday arraign 23 suspected internet fraudsters arrested during a sting operation at a hotel within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State. The suspects, among 93 persons picked up in a late-night raid on Sunday, will appear before Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos. Dele Oyewale, EFCC’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Thursday that the accused persons face charges bordering on impersonation, identity theft and other internet-related offences. According to the EFCC, the arrests followed credible intelligence that the suspects were…

Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking decisive steps to stabilise Nigeria’s economy, describing his reform agenda as a move in the right direction. Speaking on Thursday during a courtesy visit to the President at the State House, Abuja, the former finance minister said the administration had laid the foundation for economic recovery but must now prioritise growth and targeted support for struggling citizens. “The president and his team have worked hard to stabilise the economy. You cannot improve an economy unless it is stable, and he deserves credit…

Daud Olatunji The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to refund workers’ funds allegedly diverted from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and immediately constitute the Governing Board of the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), or face a nationwide strike. The decision followed a Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, presided over by NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero. In a communiqué released after the meeting, the CWC accused the government of turning a blind eye to the mismanagement of workers’ welfare funds and weakening the nation’s…

Children in Ogun State have issued a passionate call for an immediate end to all forms of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, warning that continued violations against minors threaten their future and the state’s development. The demand came on Wednesday during a plenary session of the 5th Children Parliament, held at the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Opening the debate, Farida Olushola, representing Ijebu-Ode Constituency and Chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs, said children remain the “leaders of tomorrow” but can only fulfil that role if they are nurtured in love, protection, and care. “Having a bad…

A former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ogun State and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Jimi Adebisi Lawal, has been arraigned before an Ilaro Magistrates’ Court  on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, and stealing He was alleged  of obtaining ₦4.5 million under false pretence and stealing. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the  police alleged that on April 28, 2025, Lawal and others at large conspired to fraudulently lease the UAMC Hall in Ilaro to the Seed of Christ Golden Church for one year at a cost of ₦4.5 million. The prosecution…

With loyalists securing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) tickets for the August 30 local government elections in Rivers State, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, appears to have reclaimed dominance over the state’s grassroots political machinery — the very arena of his bitter rift with Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The PDP’s campaign launch in Port Harcourt on Wednesday turned into a public show of allegiance to the former governor, as party chairperson Aaron Chukwuemeka and suspended House of Assembly Speaker Martin Amaewhule showered praises on Wike. “Let me use this opportunity to thank our…

The Ogun State Muslim Council (OMC) has constituted an 11-member Constitutional Review Committee, resolved to intensify political engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections, and called on the state government to urgently formalise approval for the use of hijab in public schools. These were part of the resolutions reached at the Council’s general meeting held on Sunday, August 10, 2025 (Safar 16, 1447 A.H.), at the Ijebu Ode Central Mosque Hall. The meeting was presided over by Prof. Habeeb Oduye, Vice President General of OMC and former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, with members drawn from the…