Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Some passengers abducted by suspected bandits along the Itobe–Ajegwu–Anyigba road in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State have regained freedom after their captors reportedly fell asleep in the forest. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday when armed hoodlums ambushed two commercial buses conveying travellers along the route. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the assailants, numbering about 10, intercepted the vehicles—one of which bore Ebonyi registration number NKE 737 XA—before forcefully herding the passengers into the bush at gunpoint. A motorcycle rider was also reportedly abducted during the attack. A resident of the area, Ahiaba Michael, said local…

Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State for the 2027 general election, pledging that the poll would be “a must-win” for the opposition party. Adebutu, who flew the party’s flag in the 2023 election, was returned unopposed as a consensus candidate at the party’s governorship primary held in Abeokuta on Sunday. His emergence followed an affirmation process conducted across the 236 wards of the state, with delegates endorsing his candidacy ahead of the primary. Chairman of the Governorship Primary Panel, Chief Afolabi Ariyo, formally declared Adebutu winner through a voice…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday acknowledged the harsh impact of his administration’s economic reforms, saying the policies have taken a personal toll on him, just as they have on millions of Nigerians. Tinubu spoke in Abuja shortly after securing the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general elections, following a nationwide direct primary conducted across the country. Addressing party leaders, governors and supporters at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, the President admitted that the sweeping reforms introduced under his government had been “gruelling,” but insisted they were necessary to stabilise an economy he…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has directed its departments nationwide to withhold regulatory services from 11 domestic airlines over unpaid debts, escalating concerns across Nigeria’s aviation sector. The directive, contained in an internal memo dated May 22, 2026, was signed by the Director of Finance and Accounts, Olufemi Odukoya, and circulated to all directorates, regional offices, and senior officials, including the Director-General of Civil Aviation. Under the “No-Pay-No-Service” order, affected airlines will be denied access to critical regulatory services until they settle their outstanding financial obligations to the authority. Airlines listed in the directive include Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik…

…Identifies Ungoverned Forests As Safe Havens For Armed Groups …Advocates State Police, Stronger Intelligence Coordination Daud Olatunji Nigeria is sliding into what experts have described as a “ransom-driven economy,” following revelations that the country recorded about 2.2 million kidnapping incidents within one year, with an estimated ₦2.2 trillion reportedly paid as ransom. A security expert and Acting Vice-Chancellor of Achievers University, Owo, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, raised the alarm while delivering a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. Aremu, who cited data attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics and reported…

Gunmen have killed three worshippers and abducted 15 others during a late-night attack on a prayer ground in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. The incident, which occurred on Saturday at Ori-Oke Ajaiye on the outskirts of Ikiran Village in the Ikerin/Ajuba axis, has thrown surrounding communities into panic, with residents fleeing and families left searching for missing relatives. Sources told PLATFORM TIMES that the assailants stormed the area in large numbers, opened fire on worshippers holding a night vigil, and whisked several victims away through nearby forest routes. A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear…

By Haroon Ishola Balogun In recent days, a deeply inflammatory and misleading post by a foreign commentator, Mike Arnold, has circulated across social media platforms, falsely portraying the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, as the mastermind of a supposed Islamic agenda to conquer Nigeria and unleash a global jihad. The publication, wrapped in sensational headlines and conspiracy-laden language, is not only dishonest and reckless, but also a dangerous attempt to undermine Nigeria’s fragile social and religious harmony by demonizing one of the country’s most respected voices for peace and interfaith unity and 17th most influential Muslim in…

…Review conference ends without agreement as disarmament push stalls The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) has accused nuclear-armed states including the United States, United Kingdom, France, China and Russia of deliberately suppressing evidence on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, as global negotiations on disarmament ended in deadlock. The allegation came as the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty concluded in New York without a final consensus document, after weeks of tense negotiations marked by deep divisions between nuclear powers and non-nuclear states. According to ICAN, efforts by the majority of…

Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, has ignited fresh controversy over Nigeria’s First Republic politics after alleging that the late Biafran leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, led discussions among senior military officers to engineer a political outcome that would have edged out then Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in favour of President Nnamdi Azikiwe during the turbulent 1964 constitutional crisis. Gowon made the revelations in his memoir, My Life of Duty and Allegiance, where he revisited the intense power struggle that rocked the country in the years leading to the collapse of the First Republic. He claimed that discussions among select…

The National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ajibola Basiru, has warned former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, to desist from making remarks capable of undermining the ruling party, threatening disciplinary action if he fails to comply. Basiru issued the warning following Fayemi’s recent criticism of the APC, where he alleged that the party had deviated from its founding ideals and was gradually losing its ideological direction. Fayemi, who spoke during a television interview, lamented what he described as the erosion of internal democracy within the party, warning that the growing culture of consensus arrangements and political endorsements could trigger…