Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has dragged state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged refusal to account for billions of naira spent annually as security votes, amid worsening insecurity across the country. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/95/2026, filed last Friday, SERAP is asking the court to compel the governors and the FCT minister to publicly disclose how security votes collected since May 29, 2023, have been spent, including details of projects funded, their implementation status and completion, as well as concrete plans to strengthen…

A notorious drug trafficking kingpin who had been on the run for more than a decade has been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of three operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), authorities confirmed on Saturday. The suspect, whose name was withheld for operational reasons, was tracked and apprehended following months of intelligence-led operations across multiple states, bringing to an end a 12-year manhunt linked to one of the deadliest attacks on anti-narcotics officers in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the NDLEA, the suspect allegedly masterminded the ambush of its officers during a raid on a…

The Freelance and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (FIBAN), Ogun State chapter, has appointed Honourable (Chief) Olalekan Alex Shoyinka, popularly known as Ayinla Egba, as its new Chairman. His emergence followed resolutions reached at the state congress of the association held at the weekend, a decision later ratified by the National Congress of FIBAN in Ibadan on Sunday, January 18, 2026, giving full constitutional backing to the new leadership. The ratification took place in the presence of key national stakeholders, including members of the outgoing National Working Committee led by Comrade Taiwo Adebayo-Gold and other respected leaders of the association…

The Kano State Police Command has arrested a syndicate allegedly responsible for the brutal killing of a woman, with the deceased’s nephew identified as the ringleader of the group. According to the police, the prime suspect, Umar Auwalu, confessed to masterminding the murder and leading the gang that carried out the attack. He reportedly admitted that the same group was behind other violent crimes in parts of Kano, including the killing and burning of two housewives in Tudun Yola Quarters. Items recovered from the suspects include four blood-stained clothes, two mobile phones belonging to the deceased, a cutlass, a club…

Excellence rarely comes without sacrifice, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose. For Sulaimon Odebode Titilope, graduating from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, with a First Class and as one of the Best Graduating Students was the culmination of years of focus, determination, and faith. In an exclusive interview with PLATFORM TIMES, he shares the personal journey, the lessons learned, and the mindset that shaped his remarkable academic achievement. KOREDE BADMUS brings us the story behind the accolades. Congratulations on your first-class degree! Please introduce yourself. Thank you. I am Sulaimon Odebode Titilope, a recent graduate of Olabisi Onabanjo University,…

… Sources Say Political Survival, Not Gross Misconduct, Drives Assembly’s Move …Return Tickets For Next Election Reportedly Key Condition for Truce Daud Olatunji Rivers State may be inching closer to a political truce as Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, separately held talks with a reconciliation panel set up by the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) amid renewed threats of impeachment against the governor and his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu. The seven-member panel, led by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), first met Wike in Abuja last Thursday before engaging…

The Tai Solarin Federal University of Education (TASFUED), Ijagun, Ogun State, has announced plans to confer honorary doctorate degrees on the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; and former governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, at its 17th convocation ceremony slated for January 29, 2026. In a statement by the Registrar and Secretary to Council, Dapo Oke, the institution said the honourees were selected for their outstanding contributions to education, governance, public service and national development. Tinubu, a former senator who represented Lagos Central between 2011 and 2023, will receive a Doctor of Science in Childhood Education (Honoris…

The Egba Economic Summit Group has appealed to the Minister of Works to urgently complete the long-delayed Idi-Aba–OGTV–Ajebo–Obafemi–Alapako Express Road, warning that the slow pace of work is hurting economic growth, public safety and access to critical institutions in Ogun State. In a letter dated January 16, 2026, signed by its President, Dr Gbenga Adeoye, the group said the road — designed to link Abeokuta to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway — has remained largely stagnant since it was awarded during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The group copied the letter to traditional rulers in Egbaland, including the Alake and…

Aishah Waliyullah An Owu chief, Prince Kazim Adeyanju Bakinsin, has announced the sponsorship of 100 indigent students for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, alongside the rollout of a practical drone technology training programme aimed at empowering youths in the community. Bakinson, the Aare of Owu Kingdom and Aare Adini of Owu Muslims, said the initiative was designed to bridge access to education and technology while preparing young people for future careers in the digital economy. Speaking at a briefing, he disclosed that the screening process for the first batch of beneficiaries had commenced, adding that only brilliant…

A High Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a 38-year-old man, Anwanga Effiong Udofia, to death by hanging for the gruesome murder of a nine-year-old pupil, Master Aniekan Idongesit Edet. Justice Archibong Archibong delivered the verdict at the weekend, bringing to a close a protracted legal battle that began in 2016 and had haunted residents of Itoko community in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area for nearly a decade. The court heard that Edet, a Primary Five pupil of Lutheran Primary School, Itoko, was brutally attacked on December 6, 2016, while on his way to school in Nung…