Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has warned the Federal Government and state governors against negotiating, rewarding, or granting amnesty to terrorists and armed groups, insisting that such actions are not only unlawful but punishable under Nigeria’s anti-terrorism legislation. Falana said the growing practice of engaging in dialogue with terrorists and bandits, coupled with alleged payments and rehabilitation packages for so-called “repentant” fighters, amounts to a breach of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting held in Abuja on Friday, June…

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) over an alleged claim that its deputy governorship candidate possesses “30 decades of experience,” a description the opposition party described as misleading and exaggerated. A PDP chieftain, Waliu Oladipupo, in a statement credited to Oyekoya Akintunde, ridiculed the claim following the unveiling of the APC running mate, Mrs Kudirat Abiodun Balogun (née Adegunwa), ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State Ogun State. The PDP, in the post which circulated briefly on social media before being deleted, lampooned the description of “30…

No fewer than 11 persons, including a pregnant woman and six children, have died following a tragic boat mishap in the Makurdi area of Benue State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday evening when the victims were returning to their community after attending a burial ceremony. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the ill-fated boat, carrying over 40 passengers, capsized midstream between Wadata and Daududawada communities during a heavy downpour accompanied by strong winds. A local vigilante commander, Nura Umar, who confirmed the incident, said the victims were residents of Daududawada, an island settlement located behind the Nigerian Army…

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has demanded equal allowance structure with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting that workers across the university system face identical economic pressures and should not be treated differently in welfare allocation. The union’s General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, made the demand on Sunday while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the 114th session of the International Labour Conference International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland Geneva. Adeyemi said the ongoing renegotiation with the federal government must reflect fairness across all categories of workers in the university system, arguing that…

The family of a former Director of Defence Information, Rabe Abubakar, has raised concerns over the circumstances surrounding the release of his corpse by bandits, describing the development as unclear and troubling. The deceased’s son, Isyaka Rabe Abubakar, said the family had no knowledge of how his father’s remains were retrieved from his abductors before burial, hours after the Katsina State Government announced his death. The retired Major General was abducted alongside his wife about two weeks ago in Katsina State. The state government had on Saturday disclosed that he died in captivity due to complications arising from diabetes and…

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (retd.), has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, warning that top political office holders, including ministers, governors and senators, could become targets of bandits and insurgents if urgent action is not taken. Buratai issued the warning in a statement on Sunday while reacting to the killing of a senior military officer, Maj.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, describing the incident as a dangerous escalation in the country’s security crisis. According to him, the killing of a general by non-state actors signals a significant breakdown in the nation’s security architecture and a weakening…

Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, has alleged that the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Larooye II, was shot at by suspected political thugs who invaded his palace during recent unrest in the state capital. Adeleke, in a post shared on Sunday, accused members of the All Progressives Congress of sponsoring the attack, claiming the monarch was targeted for endorsing his second-term bid ahead of the forthcoming governorship election. “The Ataoja of Osogbo… said he was shot at by APC thugs inside his own palace. His subjects were hit by live bullets. Kabiyesi himself was the target,” the governor…

The National Youth Service Corps has suspended the 2026 Batch B Stream I orientation course for prospective corps members posted to Niger State, citing ongoing renovation at the state’s orientation camp. The scheme disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, noting that the exercise could not proceed as scheduled due to infrastructural works at the camp facility. According to the statement, affected prospective corps members would be duly informed of new arrangements. It read in part, “This is to notify the general public and prospective corps members deployed to Niger State for…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over the alleged failure to account for ₦5.9bn reportedly spent on the transition and rebranding of the defunct Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks an order compelling the oil firm to provide detailed explanations on how the funds were utilised in transforming NNPC into a limited liability company. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1248/2026, SERAP is asking the court to issue an order of mandamus directing the NNPCL to account for the expenditure and…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that ex-Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, was on the verge of securing the release of presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, before his sudden death in detention. Obasanjo made the disclosure on Saturday in Abuja during the public presentation of three books in honour of Abdulsalami’s 84th birthday, titled “The Legacy of a Statesman @84,” held at the Presidential Villa. He said the former military leader had already concluded arrangements for Abiola’s freedom, noting that the late politician’s son, Kola, was in Abuja awaiting his father’s release…