Author: Platform Times Newspaper

No fewer than 68 passengers escaped unhurt on Thursday after an Enugu Air aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at the Benin Airport in Edo State during a heavy downpour. The aircraft, with registration number 5N-ENR, was operating an Enugu–Benin–Lagos commercial flight when the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m., triggering panic among passengers and airport officials. Airport sources said the aircraft overshot the runway after landing and veered into a nearby bush, sparking fears that it had crashed. However, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority dispelled the reports, clarifying that the incident was a runway excursion caused by adverse…

Daud Olatunji The Presidency has criticised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over his decision to engage a United States lobbying firm to revive President Bola Tinubu’s decades-old forfeiture case, describing the move as an attack on Nigeria’s sovereignty and a futile political strategy. Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Thursday, accused Atiku of attempting to internationalise Nigeria’s domestic politics by sponsoring foreign lobbyists to circulate documents relating to a 1993 civil forfeiture case involving Tinubu. Onanuga said Atiku’s latest move reflected what he described as the former vice-president’s “desperate” quest for the presidency, insisting that the issue had long…

The Nigeria Police Force Trust Fund has empowered 100 wives of junior police officers in Delta State with vocational skills and start-up equipment to boost their economic independence and improve the welfare of police families. The four-day empowerment programme, organised in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, trained 79 beneficiaries in tailoring and 21 in hairdressing. At the end of the training, each participant received a starter pack in her chosen trade to enable her establish a business and generate sustainable income. Representing the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Command, Mr. Yemi Oyeniyi, at the closing ceremony, the Deputy Commissioner…

Suliat Lawal The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Constitution Alteration (State Police) Bill, 2026, clearing another major hurdle in the bid to establish state police across Nigeria despite a protest and walkout by members of the minority caucus. The bill, which seeks to create a constitutional framework for the establishment and operation of state police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force, was approved after 311 lawmakers participated in the voting process, surpassing the constitutional requirement for a two-thirds majority. Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, said 276 members were physically present in the chamber, while 35 others participated…

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, demanding an independent investigation into the death of Deputy Superintendent of Corps, Agada Levi Agada, of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as well as the arrest and public parade of Chief Superintendent of Police Abdulmajeed Abisoye Oyewumi. The rights group, in a statement issued on Thursday by its National President, Comrade Yinka Folarin, and National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Adewunmi Adesina, described the two incidents as raising serious concerns about due process, accountability and public confidence in the criminal justice system. CDHR said it had…

…Over 150 farmers lose N700m In Latest Flood Disaster …Victims Say Repeated Floods Threaten Food Security, Livelihoods …Demand Compensation, Emergency Relief, River Dredging Daud Olatunji Fish farmers in Ogun State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun for urgent intervention after devastating floods destroyed fish ponds, production facilities and fish stocks worth over N700 million in parts of Ijebuland, compounding losses that have exceeded N1.5 billion in the last four years. The affected farmers, under the umbrella of the Ijebuland Fish Farmers’ Association, said more than 150 fish farmers were affected by the flash floods triggered by…

The Nigerian Army has declared one of its personnel, Private Mohammed Yusuf Amutu, wanted over his alleged involvement in the illegal sale and supply of military uniforms to terrorists and other criminal elements. The Army said the soldier, who was serving at the Nigerian Army Ordnance Kits Factory under the Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps, absconded from his unit on June 3, 2026, before preliminary investigations linked him to the alleged illicit activities. The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations at the Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps, Maj. Oluwatope…

Grace Adeleke Yoruba Nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Thursday launched the Iru Ekun Security Network in Kwara State, declaring that the outfit would begin operations to dislodge bandits and other criminal elements from forests across the state. Igboho, who spoke during the inauguration of the security outfit in Ilorin, said forests in parts of Kwara had become safe havens for kidnappers and armed bandits, insisting that the new security network would complement the efforts of conventional security agencies to restore peace. He announced that the outfit’s first operations would focus on Babanla and Eruku communities,…

Zainab Abioye Survivors of the deadly canoe mishap in Ringim Local Government Area of Jigawa State have recounted the terrifying moments they struggled for survival after an overloaded boat carrying about 40 passengers, mostly women and children, capsized while returning from rice farms. The victims, who escaped death by a whisker, narrated how local fishermen and farmers risked their lives to rescue drowning passengers, even as they appealed to the Federal and Jigawa State governments to construct a bridge across the river to prevent recurring tragedies. The canoe reportedly capsized at Malamawar Yandutse community after becoming unstable in the middle…

The Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over a court order restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from accessing records of contracts awarded by the state government since 2021. The opposition party described the development as a setback to transparency and accountability, insisting that public officials must be open to scrutiny over the management of public funds. The APC’s reaction followed Wednesday’s ruling of a Federal High Court in Ibadan, which reportedly restrained the EFCC from investigating financial records relating to contracts awarded by the Makinde administration. Governor Makinde’s media office had…