Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested 20 suspects for alleged vote-buying and other electoral offences during Saturday’s Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections. The anti-graft agency said it recovered a total of N17,218,700 from the suspects during coordinated operations across the six area councils. In a statement issued on Sunday, the commission disclosed that the suspects were apprehended for offences ranging from vote-buying and vote-selling to obstruction of electoral officers. “Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Saturday, February 21, 2026, arrested 20 suspects for sundry electoral offences in the just-concluded Federal Capital Territory local…

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 68-year-old grandmother and several other suspects in coordinated anti-drug operations across multiple states, seizing large quantities of cannabis, tramadol and codeine syrup. The agency said the operations, carried out in Lagos, Edo, Bauchi, Ondo, Delta, Kogi and Rivers states, led to the destruction of over 1,200 kilograms of cannabis cultivated in forest camps and the interception of thousands of pills and bottles of controlled substances. In Edo State, NDLEA operatives raided Etiosa camp in Owan West Local Government Area, where they destroyed 1,266.8475 kilograms of cannabis cultivated on three…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for sweeping reforms at the National Open University of Nigeria, urging the immediate restoration of the institution’s suspended Law programme and deeper integration of artificial intelligence into its academic framework. Obasanjo made the call in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while receiving the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Uduma Uduma, alongside members of the university’s management team. The former President stressed that the university must reposition itself to meet the evolving demands of the digital age through innovation, technology-driven learning and expanded access to quality education. “I urge the university’s leadership to prioritise modernisation and…

Environmental experts have called on federal and state authorities to prioritise the preservation of Nigeria’s biodiversity and ecosystems, warning that continued degradation could undermine food security, tourism, public health and economic development. The call was made  in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the validation and inauguration of Multi-Stakeholder Platforms and Biodiversity Needs Assessment Study on the Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Use of Lowland Forest Mosaic Landscape in Ogun and Edo states. The event was organised by the Nigeria National Park Service in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Global Environment Facility under the GEF-7 Biodiversity Project. The…

The Senate of the University of Abuja has expelled 28 students over offences bordering on cult-related activities, examination malpractice, drug possession and threats to life. The decision was taken at the institution’s 191st Regular Senate Meeting after deliberations on the report of the Student Disciplinary Committee. In a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Director, Information and University Relations, Dr Habib Yakoob, the university said the affected students were found guilty of serious misconduct that contravened the institution’s rules and regulations. According to the statement, the offences include assault, conspiracy, burglary, theft, falsification of ‘O’ Level results uploaded on…

The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has raised the alarm over what it described as the growing displacement of traditional traders in Lagos, warning that ongoing market redevelopment projects could erode the state’s historic mercantile identity. In a statement titled “Lagos Markets: Between Heritage and Modernity,” issued on Sunday, February 22, 2026, the group called for a more inclusive urban renewal strategy that would protect low-income traders while pursuing infrastructural upgrades. The foundation traced Lagos’ commercial roots to the pre-colonial barter system, noting that the city’s economic life began in open trading squares long before the emergence of modern shopping complexes.…

Allegations of massive payroll fraud in Osun State, amounting to N13.7 billion annually, have thrown the state’s workforce management under intense scrutiny. Salivot Consulting Limited, the audit firm behind the revelation, claimed in an appearance on Politics Tonight (Channels Television) that a 12-month forensic audit uncovered thousands of ghost workers and pensioners on the state payroll. According to the firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sadat Bakrin-Ottun, the audit, reportedly commissioned by the Adeleke-led administration, flagged 8,452 workers and 5,831 pensioners who failed to appear for physical and biometric verification. “The state is losing about N13.7 billion yearly to fraudulent payroll…

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has announced that more than 69,000 learners nationwide have benefited from its Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) interventions, aimed at improving non-formal education in high out-of-school children zones. At the flag-off ceremony held yesterday at the UBEC Zonal Office in Kaduna, the Commission launched the distribution of 100,000 school records and instructional materials to IQTE centres across the country. The Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Olajuwon Akinyemi, explained that the programme targets non-formal learning centres in the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and South-West regions, where the out-of-school population remains high. “The exercise builds on…

Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has pledged closer collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to strengthen operations at the Dangote Refinery and deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians. Dangote made this disclosure on Saturday while hosting NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, during a tour of the refinery. He said both organisations share a common goal of advancing Nigeria’s energy sector and industrial capacity. “I think the sky is the limit. We [Dangote Refinery and NNPCL] will cooperate and work together to make Nigerians proud,” Dangote said. The billionaire industrialist revealed that discussions are underway…

The Plateau State Police Command has taken Inspector Iliya Dauda, an armourer attached to its Riyom Division, into custody over the disappearance of firearms and ammunition from the station. Sources within the command said  that Dauda, who had earlier been declared at large, was apprehended following a series of internal investigations linking him to the missing weapons. A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, explained that the arrest comes amid growing concerns within state security circles over the loss of police arms, which could compromise operational readiness and public safety. “The detention of the officer is expected to fast-track the recovery of…