Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced former senior government official, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, to eight years imprisonment after finding him guilty of diverting public funds for personal use. The Bioko Provincial Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that Engonga, once head of the country’s national financial investigation agency, embezzled funds earmarked for official travel. In addition to the jail term, the disgraced official was ordered to pay a fine of $220,000. According to Hilario Mitogo, Press Director of the Supreme Court, Engonga and five other senior officials were prosecuted for misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to the state. Engonga’s…

Controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has stirred emotions online after revealing he dreamt about his late father. Bobrisky, who shared the emotional experience on his Instagram page on Wednesday, said the dream left him in tears when he woke up. In a heartfelt note, the Lagos-born socialite recounted fond memories with his late father, including moments of care and support he rendered while he was alive. “Daddy, you appeared to me in my dream this morning. You miss how I spoiled you silly on earth, right? You miss how I did your laundry, cooked for you…

Nigerians paid kidnappers a staggering N2.57 billion as ransom between July 2024 and June 2025, a new report by geopolitical research firm, SBM Intelligence, has revealed. The report, titled “Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry”, noted that kidnappers demanded a total of N48 billion within the one-year period, but received only a fraction of the amount. According to the study, at least 4,722 people were abducted in 997 incidents, while no fewer than 762 persons lost their lives in kidnap-related violence. “Kidnapping has evolved into a highly lucrative criminal enterprise in Nigeria, with 4,722 civilians abducted and N2.56 billion confirmed in…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intensified its clampdown on fake and unregistered drugs, raiding illegal markets in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and Asaba, with seized products valued at over N110 million. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the nationwide special enforcement operation targeted street hawkers and peddlers who openly sold fake, expired, and unapproved pharmaceutical products in defiance of regulations. Items confiscated during the raids included aphrodisiacs, oxytocins, narcotic analgesics, tramadol, morphine, sex-enhancement drugs, antibiotics, painkillers, and several other unwholesome products considered unsafe for human consumption. No fewer than 15 suspects were arrested…

A Nigerian man, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, has been convicted in the United States for his role in a wide-ranging international fraud and money laundering conspiracy that targeted vulnerable Americans, including the elderly. Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas, was found guilty on Monday after a 22-day trial in San Juan, Puerto Rico. U.S. prosecutors said he conspired with four other Nigerians—Oluwaseun Adelekan, 40, and Temitope Omotayo, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; and Temitope Suleiman, 37—to launder funds derived from romance scams, pandemic relief fraud, unemployment insurance scams, and business email compromise (BEC) schemes. Court…

Lafarge Africa Plc has launched EcoCrete, Nigeria’s first low-carbon ready-mix concrete, designed to cut carbon emissions in the construction sector while maintaining top performance. The product, unveiled in Lagos on Wednesday, promises at least a 20 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional cement-based concrete. Lafarge said the rollout began with the full conversion of its Abuja Ready-Mix plant to EcoCrete production. Speaking at the launch, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said the innovation demonstrates the company’s resolve to lead Nigeria’s transition to greener construction. “EcoCrete expands our sustainable solutions…

…Court Confiscates Ohio Mansion …Monarch Used Stolen Funds For Real Estate, Luxury Lifestyle …Investigators Tracked 38 Fraudulent SBA Loan Approvals To Monarch The Apetu of Ipetumodu in Osun State, Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede, has been sentenced to 56 months in prison in the United States after being convicted of a multi-million-dollar COVID-19 relief fraud. Oloyede, 62, who holds dual citizenship in Nigeria and the U.S., was on Tuesday handed the jail term by District Judge Christopher A. Boyko of the Northern District of Ohio. According to a statement obtained  from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the monarch will also serve three…

Bashir Abdullahi Haske, son-in-law to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he is evading arrest, describing the allegations as false and politically motivated. The businessman, who was recently declared wanted by the anti-graft agency over alleged multi-million-dollar money laundering and criminal conspiracy, said contrary to EFCC’s position, he had honoured their invitation and provided all necessary documents to defend the legitimacy of his financial dealings. Haske, in a statement released by his media office on Tuesday, insisted that the EFCC’s action was a calculated attempt to tarnish his image…

…Seeks Arrest Warrant Against Uba Sani For “Crimes Against Democracy” Senator representing Kaduna Central, Lawal Adamu Usman, has petitioned the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, demanding the issuance of an arrest warrant against Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, over the arrest and detention of opposition figures during the August 16 Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency by-election. Usman accused the governor of orchestrating the clampdown on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Princess Esther Asheu Velli Dawaki, and several party leaders, who were arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the eve of the poll. In…

A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, has accused state governors of worsening the current economic hardship in Nigeria by mismanaging resources and concealing the true state of affairs from President Bola Tinubu. Yusuf, who spoke during a Trust TV interview on Tuesday, said although the Tinubu administration has increased revenue allocations to states following the removal of fuel subsidy, governors have failed to channel the funds into developmental projects that would ease citizens’ suffering. “Mr President, if they are not telling you the truth, listen to me, I’m telling you the truth…