Author: Platform Times Newspaper

An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced Samuel Asiegbu to three years in prison without the option of a fine for his role in an ₦8.56 billion fraud perpetrated against Wema Bank Plc. According to a statement released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, Justice Rahman Oshodi handed down the sentence after Asiegbu pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, stealing, and unauthorised access to a computer system with intent to commit fraud. The EFCC said Asiegbu was initially arraigned alongside other defendants on a four-count charge on June 23, 2025, all of whom pleaded not guilty.…

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday described his ascent from deputy governor to the presidency as “nothing short of a political miracle,” attributing his rise to divine intervention. Jonathan made the remarks at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, during the presentation of books authored by journalist and former presidential spokesperson, Dr. Reuben Abati. He said, “My political journey looked like a political miracle. From deputy governor to becoming president of this country within four years — it was a miracle. It’s only God that made it possible.” Jonathan commended Abati for his intellectual depth and for documenting…

Russia has said it is closely monitoring developments following reports that the United States may be considering military intervention in Nigeria. The Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, disclosed this during a press briefing in Moscow on Friday, in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent statement that he had directed the Pentagon to draw up military options to “protect Christian communities” in Nigeria. Zakharova cautioned Washington against any unilateral action, urging the U.S. to adhere strictly to international law in addressing security concerns in the West African nation. “We are closely monitoring this issue and call on all parties…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted a popular Lagos socialite, Fayisara Ajoke Opaleye, widely known as Iya Ruka, and her driver, Abideen Adio, for trafficking and transporting 1,540 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, also known as marijuana. The duo were found guilty by Justice Musa Kakaki on Friday after they pleaded guilty to an amended one-count charge filed against them by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The NDLEA had initially arraigned the 61-year-old businesswoman and her 41-year-old driver in May on a three-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful possession, and trafficking in prohibited substances. They both pleaded…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has returned the sum of N42.5 million to Mrs. Margret Taye Odofin, a 70-year-old widow and retiree, who was defrauded by her bank’s investment officer, Mrs. Kehinde Olawale Yusuf, in Kaduna. The refund, made via a bank draft, was formally presented to Mrs. Odofin on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at the EFCC Kaduna Zonal Directorate by Acting Director Bawa Kaltungo, on behalf of the Commission’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede. According to EFCC investigators, Mrs. Odofin had in December 2024 petitioned the Commission after discovering that her account officer at a new-generation bank,…

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, met with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid growing international pressure following the United States’ renewed designation of Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” The meeting, described as “crucial,” was held in the President’s office at Aso Rock. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, accompanied the Sultan to the meeting, which sources said formed part of Tinubu’s ongoing consultations with religious and traditional leaders across the country. It came just days after the President held a similar closed-door meeting with the Catholic…

Suspected bandits on Friday evening opened fire on a bus conveying members of the National Congress of Evangelisation, Operation Good News from Oyo State along the Eruku–Obbo Ile axis of Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the team was on its way to Shagbe, a village in Ifelodun Local Government Area, when the gunmen emerged from the bush and shot sporadically at the vehicle. A source who witnessed the attack said the gunmen appeared from both sides of the road, forcing the driver to swerve dangerously as bullets riddled the bus. “One of the passengers was…

The Ogun State Police Command has smashed a notorious Cameroonian kidnap syndicate that lured unsuspecting victims into Nigeria under the guise of processing foreign visas. The anti-kidnapping unit of the command arrested two members of the gang, identified as Ndzana Kamga Isidore and Tingue Stephen, during a sting operation in the Mowe area along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway. The Command’s spokesperson, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Friday, saying the gang’s leader, identified simply as Donald, is currently on the run. Odutola explained that the operation followed a distress call from a Cameroonian woman, Kengne Maeva, who…

Five members of two international drug trafficking cartels with links to Australia and Gabon have been sentenced to a total of 21 years imprisonment following their arrest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. Their conviction followed the seizure of 68.9 kilograms of cocaine, Canadian Loud, and tramadol by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during separate interdiction operations between July and August 2025. In a statement on Thursday, the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, said three of the convicts — Olasupo Michael Oladimeji, Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, and Sola Adegoke — were…

As political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections begin to take shape, the clamour for renewed representation has intensified across Ondo North Senatorial District, with many residents rallying support for Engr. Michael Adebayo Adeyanju. Adeyanju, a respected entrepreneur and grassroots politician, has continued to attract endorsements from community leaders, youth groups, and political observers who describe him as a bridge between the people and government. Across Akoko and other parts of Ondo North, voices are growing louder for what they call “purposeful and people-centred representation” in the National Assembly — one that aligns with the developmental strides of Governor…