Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Two Nigerians, Solomon Aluko and Nosakhare Nobore, alongside four others, have been indicted by U.S. authorities for their alleged involvement in a $50 million COVID-19 fraud scheme. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) uncovered the fraud, which reportedly involved stealing government-issued checks meant for pandemic relief, tax refunds, and benefits for veterans and the elderly. According to a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice, the suspects, all based in the United States, face up to 62 years in prison if convicted. The Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew…

The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) says five out of the 12 inmates who escaped from custody at the medium-security custodial centre in Koton Karfe, Kogi, have been recaptured. According to a statement issued on Monday, Abubakar Umar, the service public relations officer (SPRO), said the NCoS launched a manhunt for the escapees immediately after the incident. Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi state commissioner for information, said about 12 inmates escaped during an early morning prison break on Monday. Umar said Sylvester Nwakuche, the acting controller-general of NCoS, in collaboration with heads of sister security agencies, including the senior special adviser to…

Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, has condemned individuals opposing his reinstatement, declaring that divine punishment would befall those inciting unrest in the state. Speaking at a special Iftar at his palace on Sunday, Sanusi urged Kano residents to maintain peace and respect the law, emphasizing that his return to the throne was an act of God. “We urge everyone to maintain peace. This issue is beyond us; it is about God’s will, and He needs no one’s assistance,” he said in Hausa in a video seen by PLATFORM. The emir, however, did not hold back in his response…

No fewer than 13 inmates have escaped while one officer lost his life during a jail break at Koton Karfe Medium Security Custodial centre in Kogi State . Confirming the incident, spokesperson for the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Abubakar Umar, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja. He revealed that two of the escapees have since been recaptured, while efforts intensify to locate and return the remaining ten fugitives to custody. Umar said the NCoS has launched a comprehensive investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the jailbreak, emphasizing their commitment to understanding how the inmates managed to escape without…

The Federal Government has revealed that over 90 per cent of land in Nigeria remains undocumented, with the nation losing an estimated $300bn in economic value due to poor land registration systems over the past 140 years. Speaking at the Workshop on the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, lamented the slow progress of land documentation in Nigeria since the formal introduction of land registration in 1883. “Since the inception of formal land registration in Nigeria in 1883, the processes have been conducted under a non-compulsory sporadic system, which…

Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have decried the alarming rate of fibre cuts in Lagos, revealing that they suffered 2,500 incidents in 2024, leading to an estimated N5 billion ($6.25 million) in losses. The operators disclosed this at the seventh edition of the Policy Implementation Assisted Forum (PIAFo), held over the weekend in Lagos. They identified Ikeja, Lekki, and Victoria Island as high-risk zones, where frequent road expansions and private developments disrupt connectivity. Industry experts at the event called for stricter enforcement of regulations, legal accountability, and improved coordination in infrastructure planning to curb the recurring damage to critical telecom infrastructure.…

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd. and the Registrar of Trademark, Patent & Designs to pay N840 million in damages for infringing on the registered trademark “WEBPLUS” owned by Citilink Accesscorp Limited. Delivering judgment in suit FHC/L/CS/1124/2014, Justice Daniel Osiagor ruled that MTN unlawfully used the “WEBPLUS” trademark, which was legally registered under Class 9 of the Trademark Registry by Citilink Accesscorp. The judge also issued a perpetual injunction restraining MTN and the Registrar from registering or issuing certificates for “WEBPLUS,” “WEB+,” “MTN WEBPLUS,” or any similar variations under Classes 9, 16, and 38…

Troops of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, have intensified their crackdown on oil theft, destroying 19 illegal refineries and confiscating over 138,000 litres of stolen petroleum products in recent operations across the Niger Delta. A statement signed on Sunday by the Acting Deputy Director, 6 Division Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, revealed that the operations, driven by intelligence-led strategies, also led to the arrest of 12 suspected oil thieves. Providing a breakdown of the recent efforts, Lt. Col. Danjuma disclosed that a tanker laden with 60,000 litres of stolen crude oil was intercepted along the Apajo–Iwoji–Iwofe Road…

An inspector attached to the police command in Cross River State has allegedly killed a woman and injured two others in sporadic fatal shootings on Sunday. The spokesperson of the command, SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Sunday. She said that the policeman acted strangely before the shootings. Ugbo said the officer, who was attached to Atakpa Divisional Police Station, had returned from a night beat at a microfinance bank before the shootings. She, however, said the police had arrested the suspect while the two injured victims were receiving medical…

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested eight students of Ifo High School over alleged involvement in cult-related activities within the school premises. The students, aged between 15 and 16, were identified as Bennett Bolawatife, Aluko Taiwo, Kehinde Aluko, Omolaso Waris, Akinola Ifeoluwa, Azeez Hassan, Kilani Babatunde (also known as Soldier), and Fasedemi Samuel. According to the state police spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, the arrest followed an alarm raised by the school authorities over an emerging gang of student cultists. She disclosed that the students were apprehended around 12:05 p.m. on Friday by operatives of the Ifo Divisional Police Headquarters in…