Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has accused the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of actions he described as calculated attempts to undermine his constitutional rights and frustrate his defence in court. Malami, who is currently facing charges filed by the EFCC, made the allegations in a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Assistant on Media, Mohammed Bello Doka, shortly after his release from custody. According to the statement, although a Federal High Court had granted the former minister bail, the EFCC allegedly delayed the submission…

The Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, has said he will not take more than one wife, citing his desire to preserve peace, balance and stability in his family life, despite traditional expectations that monarchs should practise polygamy. The revered Itsekiri monarch made the disclosure during an interview aired on BBC Pidgin and shared widely on social media on Friday. Speaking on the demands of kingship and family life, the monarch said his decision was informed by the need to avoid unnecessary complications at home and to give adequate attention to his wife and children. “I live between public duty…

The family of a recent graduate of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, Ogun State, has been thrown into anguish following her abduction by suspected kidnappers who are demanding ₦30 million for her release. The victim, Oladipupo Opeyemi, a Mass Communication graduate who completed her studies last year, was reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday while returning from Abuja, according to family sources. Her father, Mr. Olajide Oladipupo Nathaniel, confirmed the incident in a message circulated among her classmates, disclosing that the kidnappers contacted him later that night through an unknown phone number. “They allowed her to speak with me briefly. She sounded…

As the world marked the 2026 International Day of Education on January 24, a University of Lagos (UNILAG) MBA graduate, Mr Ezeukoh Ebubechukwu, has described education as the most potent tool for social equity, economic participation and sustainable development across societies. Ebubechukwu, who graduated from the Department of Business Administration, spoke against the backdrop of sobering global statistics by UNESCO indicating that over 250 million children and adolescents are currently out of school, while about 763 million adults remain illiterate. The International Day of Education was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to underscore the central role…

… Ijebu State, Revival of Olokola Free Trade Zone tied To controversial choice …N1bn Allegedly Dangled To Sway Decision …Claims Of Interference In Awujale Selection Mischievous — Ogun Govt Daud Olatunji The long-awaited succession to the Awujale throne of Ijebuland nearly plunged into political crisis last week after Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, reportedly attempted to influence the council of nine kingmakers to endorse a preferred candidate — only to be firmly rebuffed. Investigations by PLATFORM TIMES indicate that Hon. Ademorin Kuye, a House of Representatives member from Shomolu Federal constituency, Lagos, was allegedly Governor Abiodun’s choice, a move…

Survivors of the mass abduction of Christian worshippers in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have narrated chilling accounts of how heavily armed bandits stormed three churches during Sunday service, brutalised congregants and forced 166 people into the forest at gunpoint. The attack, which occurred around 10am, targeted Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Churches I and II, as well as the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) church. According to community sources, 177 worshippers were initially seized, but 11 later escaped, many with injuries, leaving 166 – including women, children, pregnant mothers and the elderly – in captivity.…

The Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, led by its 2023 governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, on Friday hosted Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as party leaders rallied supporters and declared the PDP fully prepared to dislodge the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 general elections. The Southwest stakeholders’ meeting, held at the Ake Palace Grounds, drew National Assembly members, state lawmakers, former legislators and party leaders from across the region, in what party officials described as a major mobilisation drive to reclaim Ogun State. Addressing the gathering, Adebutu dismissed claims that the…

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned that Nigeria is sinking deeper into a cycle of violence, denial and systemic hypocrisy, describing the country’s worsening insecurity as a “theatre of lies” sustained by broken trust between citizens and the state. Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Friday, the cleric said Nigeria’s crisis was not rooted in religion but in governance failure, moral collapse and elite compromise, which have normalised what he called the nation’s “collective humiliation”. Kukah said, “Religion comes before politics. The pulpit…

The Oyo State Fire Services Agency recorded 246 fire incidents across the state in 2025, rescuing 42 people and recovering 30 bodies, in what officials described as a troubling reminder of rising safety risks and the urgent need for stronger emergency response systems. Chairman of the agency and Special Adviser on Fire Reform to Governor Seyi Makinde, Dr Maroof Akinwande, disclosed the figures in Ibadan on Thursday, saying the scale of incidents underscored the growing threat of fire disasters to lives, property and the environment. According to him, January recorded the highest number of outbreaks with 29 cases, followed by…

The House of Representatives minority caucus has accused the executive branch of illegally altering key tax laws, warning that the discrepancies undermine the legislature’s constitutional authority. In a statement on Friday, Afam Ogene, chairman of the seven-member committee investigating the matter, said a review of the gazetted tax laws revealed multiple conflicting versions in circulation. “The directive from the leadership of both chambers to the Clerk of the National Assembly to ‘align’ the Acts with the official printing press is a clear indication that procedural anomalies occurred in the previously gazetted versions,” Ogene said. The committee, formed on January 2…