Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Charles Okah, the convicted Independence Day bomber serving a life sentence at the Maximum Security Custodial Centre (MaSCC) in Maiduguri, is set to institute a N1 billion lawsuit against the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) over alleged torture, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of medical care. Okah, who was convicted for his role in the October 1, 2010 twin bomb blasts in Abuja, has reportedly spent over 190 days in solitary confinement after exposing what he described as a multi-million naira corruption racket involving senior prison officials. In March 2025, Okah wrote an open letter to the Minister of Interior, Dr.…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, on Tuesday disclosed that 14 commercial banks have successfully met the apex bank’s new minimum capital requirement. Cardoso made this known while addressing journalists at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja, where key decisions on the economy and financial sector stability were announced. He said the banking sector had shown resilience despite economic headwinds, with most financial soundness indicators performing within acceptable benchmarks. “Members also acknowledged the significant progress in the ongoing bank recapitalisation exercise, as 14 banks have fully met the new capital…

Daud Olatunji  United States President, Donald Trump, has once again sparked global outrage after dismissing climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” Speaking on Tuesday at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Trump lashed out at global efforts to combat climate change, insisting that climate science was flawed and economically damaging. “It’s the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion,” Trump declared. “All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong. They were made by…

Two housewives abducted in Makarfi, Kaduna State, and held in the notorious Yadi Forest for over a month, have regained freedom and reunited with their family. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, through the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), on Tuesday officially handed over Khadijah and Fatimah Shehu Magaji to their husband, Shehu Magaji. The National Coordinator of NCTC, Rear Admiral Adamu Laka, who represented the NSA at the handover ceremony in Kaduna, said the women were kidnapped on August 18 and endured 33 harrowing days in captivity. “While in captivity, Khadijah gave birth to a baby girl, Hafsat,…

A Special Court Martial of the Nigerian Army sitting in Maiduguri, Borno State, has sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment and another to 15 years in jail for illegally diverting arms and ammunition to criminals and militias. The trial, which followed months of investigation, was convened by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander, Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI, Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu. The judgment was delivered on September 18, 2025, at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess in Maiduguri. Those convicted are Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje, who all bagged life…

A former federal lawmaker, Dr. Usman Bugaje, has dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s denial of seeking a third term in office, insisting that the former leader deployed both intimidation and financial inducements in his bid to extend his stay in power. Obasanjo, while speaking at a democracy dialogue hosted by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Ghana last week, denied ever nursing a third-term ambition. He said, “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian dead or alive that would say I called him and told him…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Monday declared that the Green Chamber is solidly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s borrowing strategy, describing it as a “necessary fiscal tool” for economic growth and poverty reduction. Speaking at the 8th Annual African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO) Conference in Abuja, Abbas dismissed reports suggesting that the House had opposed the President’s borrowing plan, describing such claims as “mischievous and misleading.” “Recently, a speech delivered by the House Leader at the West African Parliamentary Conference was erroneously reported out of context, creating the false impression that the House…

No fewer than 68 inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Kano State Command, have successfully passed the 2025 National Examination Council (NECO) examinations. The spokesperson of the command, Musbahu Lawan, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the feat was achieved under the Centre for Inmates’ Continuity Education, fully sponsored by the Kano State Government. Lawan explained that the initiative was in line with the Correctional Service Act, 2019, which prioritises rehabilitation and reformation of inmates through academic and vocational training. “This success also reflects the directive of the Controller General of Corrections, CGC Sylvester Indidi-Nwakuche, urging…

An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Mr. Ejeh Udeh, was on Monday assassinated in Ugboji community, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State. The spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, DSP Udeme Edet, who confirmed the incident in Makurdi, said Udeh was attacked at close range by armed men who laid an ambush for him. “The assailants shot him at close range and he died on the spot. We have arrested a suspect in connection with the incident, and investigation is ongoing,” Edet told journalists. Witnesses said the gunmen, who rode on motorcycles, had waited in the rain before…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Monday night met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, days after resuming official duties following the lifting of emergency rule in the state. Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, Fubara described the interaction with the President as a “father-son discussion,” noting that Tinubu offered him advice on steering the affairs of the oil-rich state without crisis. “You are aware that suspension was lifted at midnight on the 17th, and I came in on the 19th. Ideally, it’s proper for me to see Mr President and to tell him that…