Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Nigeria is facing an orchestrated and escalating wave of violence designed to destabilise the nation, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, declared on Tuesday during a rare special plenary session held exclusively on national security. The House suspended all regular business to address what Abbas described as “a coordinated and deeply troubling escalation of violence” across several states, including mass killings, school abductions and kidnappings inside worship centres. Abbas said the pattern of attacks suggested a deliberate plot “to instil fear, weaken public confidence, and create the illusion that violent groups can act without restraint,” warning that the…

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), over the alleged drugging and rape of a 20-year-old female undergraduate. The police spokesperson, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, confirmed the arrest on Monday, describing the case as part of the command’s intensified clampdown on serious crimes involving young people. According to police findings, the victim had honoured an invitation from her longtime friend, 19-year-old Queen Sodo, who allegedly offered her a drink later discovered to have been spiked. The victim reportedly became unconscious shortly after consuming the beverage. Sodo was said to have left the room…

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, says security agencies know the exact hideouts of bandit groups terrorising the North but are often unable to launch direct airstrikes due to the high risk of killing abducted civilians. Onanuga stated this on Monday during an interview on ARISE TV’s Prime Time, where he defended the Federal Government’s handling of the worsening insecurity and condemned comments attributed to Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over alleged support for possible United States military action in Nigeria. According to him, the military has intelligence on the identities and…

Renowned historian and global scholar, Professor Toyin Falola, on Tuesday warned that African universities are facing a “triple challenge” of expansion, relevance and autonomy, urging institutions across the continent to urgently rethink their philosophies, governance systems, and development models or risk becoming globally uncompetitive. Falola delivered the warning while presenting the Distinguished Lecture in honour of the outgoing President/Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Professor Ademola S. Tayo, during an event held at the institution’s amphitheatre in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. The lecture, themed “The Transformation of Babcock,” drew academics, policymakers, administrators and students from across the country. Falola, who holds the Jacob…

The Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), a coalition of prominent northern women leaders, has condemned the closure of schools in Kebbi, Niger and other northern states, describing the decision as “panic dressed up as policy” and “a surrender to violent actors.” In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday and signed by leading advocates — Asmau Joda, Maryam Uwais, Mairo Mandara, Aisha Oyebode, Fatima Akilu, Kadaria Ahmed and Larai Ocheja Amusan — the group said the mass shutdown of schools amounts to abandoning children instead of protecting them. VIEW said it was “horrified by Nigeria’s deepening security…

Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has revealed that he became so angered by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comments at his 65th birthday celebration that he briefly contemplated snatching the microphone from him and hitting him with it. Fayose made the disclosure in a fresh interview where he narrated how a planned reconciliation with Obasanjo turned sour at the Lagos event. The ex-governor said two weeks before the celebration, he had decided to reconcile with political associates and rivals he had previously clashed with — including Obasanjo. He contacted the former president through a mutual associate and requested his presence…

The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worsened on Tuesday as loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, filed a fresh suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to void the party’s national convention held in Ibadan between November 15 and 16. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2501/2025, the plaintiffs — listed as the PDP, acting national chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman, and national secretary Samuel Anyanwu — asked the court to declare the Ibadan convention illegal, invalid and of no effect, insisting it violated multiple subsisting court orders. They also urged the court to restrain…

Bandits on Monday night invaded Isapa community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting at least 11 residents, including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers and several children. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the attackers, said to be more than 20, stormed the agrarian community around 9pm, firing sporad gunshots as they moved in with a large herd of cattle. An elderly woman was reportedly struck by a stray bullet during the raid. A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that seven of the abducted victims belonged to the same family. He listed the victims…

The Public Complaints Commission (PCC) has concluded a two-day intensive capacity-building training for its officers across the South-West, with a renewed push for ethical conduct, accountability and professionalism in public sector investigations. The training, themed “Ethics, Accountability and Integrity in Public Sector Investigation,” was held in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and formally declared open on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, by the Ogun State Federal Commissioner of the Commission, Hon. Morakinyo OgoOluwa Akinleye. In his address, Akinleye stressed that the Commission’s mandate requires staff to demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and professionalism, especially in handling complaints, investigations and administrative justice. He…

Ogun State’s rising squash talents stole the spotlight at the South-West Junior Boys and Girls Squash Championship held in Abeokuta, clinching three of the four titles contested at the commemorative tournament marking the 20th coronation anniversary of the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo. The two-day championship, staged at the Alake Squash Court inside Ake Palace, showcased thrilling displays of skill and resilience from young players across the region. In the U-16 Girls’ category, Ogun’s Elizabeth Adebayo mounted a remarkable comeback to defeat Lagos’ Chioma Ude 3-2 in a fiercely contested final. Adebayo, who dropped the…