Author: Platform Times Newspaper

… 530 intercepted at Katsina border as states of origin span nationwide … Officials warn of rising irregular migration across West Africa Daud Olatunji No fewer than 800 Nigerian migrants have been deported from the Republic of Niger and returned to the country through Kano State, in what has further heightened concerns over irregular migration and porous border control within the West African sub-region. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that at least 530 of the returnees were intercepted and received by immigration officials at the Magama Jibia border in Katsina State. The figure comprised 345 males and 185 females, while others were…

An Ogun State Magistrate Court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta, on Monday ordered the remand of a National Youth Service Corps official, Abass Olalekan, for 60 days over his alleged involvement in the death of a 23-year-old corps member, Victoria Ariyo, following a suspected unlawful abortion. The remand order was issued by Magistrate O.T. Odubanjo after an ex parte application filed by the police prosecutor, Solomon Babalola, seeking the defendant’s custody pending legal advice from the Ogun State Directorate of Public Prosecutions. Olalekan, who was initially arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy and attempt to procure abortion, had earlier pleaded…

14-year-old arrested for attempting to A 14-year-old boy, identified as Eke Miracle, has been arrested after allegedly attempting to sneak beneath an aircraft at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The incident, which occurred on Monday, raised fresh concerns over aviation security breaches at one of Nigeria’s busiest airports. According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Airport Police Command, ASP Mohammed Adeola, the teenager was intercepted on the airport’s restricted tarmac while allegedly trying to position himself under an aircraft preparing for operations. Adeola described the act as a “serious breach of aviation security protocols,” noting…

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has resigned from the Federal Executive Council to pursue his governorship ambition in Bauchi State ahead of the 2027 general elections. His resignation was confirmed on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa. It was gathered that Tuggar submitted his resignation letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shortly after noon, formally stepping down from the cabinet. Findings indicated that the former minister is set to contest the Bauchi State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Tuggar’s exit is coming barely days before the…

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has warned that pandemics now pose grave threats not only to public health but also to economic stability and national security worldwide. Pate issued the warning on Monday in Abuja at a high-level public health symposium themed, “Lessons on Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Insights from China and Nigeria.” He cautioned that infectious disease outbreaks, if not swiftly contained, could escalate into epidemics and eventually global pandemics, stressing that the world must brace for future occurrences. “It is not a matter of if, but when,” the minister said, noting that…

… Nigeria’s 18.5m Out-Of-School Children Crisis Worsens …. Analysts Warn Of Security, Poverty Fallout Daud Olatunji Imo, Ogun and Rivers states have emerged as the worst offenders among 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory that failed to access a combined ₦97.88bn in basic education funds, deepening Nigeria’s worsening out-of-school crisis. Findings by PLATFORM TIMES showed that the funds, allocated under the Universal Basic Education Commission intervention scheme, remain unutilised largely due to the inability of state governments to provide the required counterpart funding. An analysis of official records obtained through a Freedom of Information request by a legal team…

Civil society organisations have raised fresh concerns over the non-utilisation of millions of dollars recovered from former public officials, warning that delays in deploying the funds could erode public trust in Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive. The groups said about $50 million linked to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and $954,000 recovered from former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, remain largely unaccounted for in terms of impact, despite being repatriated for specific development projects. The concerns were raised at a two-day town hall meeting on asset recovery and utilisation, where the Executive Director of the African Network for Economic and…

The Delta State Government has banned the Ozoro fertility festival following allegations of sexual assault on female participants, describing the incident as “barbaric and unacceptable.” The ban comes amid outrage over the account of a 300-level student of Southern Delta University, Ozoro, Miss Ezeugo Ijeoma Rosemary, who alleged that she was stripped naked and molested by a mob during the event. Recounting her ordeal, the student said the incident occurred on Thursday evening near her school when she unknowingly walked into activities linked to the festival. “I came down from a bike and suddenly boys started shouting, ‘Hold her, hold…

—New Two-Tier Policing Model Shifts Local Crimes To States —Federal Police To Handle Terrorism, Interstate Offences … States To Contribute Minimum 15% To Security Financing The Federal Government has moved to overhaul Nigeria’s policing structure with a proposal that would assign homicide, armed robbery, domestic violence and other local offences to state police commands, while a federal outfit focuses on terrorism and interstate crimes. The framework, submitted to the Senate by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, outlines a two-tier policing system designed to decentralise security operations and improve responsiveness to crime across the country. Under the proposed…

The lingering crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took a fresh turn on Sunday as a faction aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, re-elected Abdulrahman Mohammed as its National Chairman. The development came during a factional national convention held in Abuja, where Abdulrahman—who hails from Nasarawa State—was returned as chairman by consensus alongside 20 other members of the National Working Committee (NWC). Abdulrahman had previously served as Acting National Chairman of the faction’s caretaker committee before his re-election, signalling what party insiders described as a consolidation of the group’s leadership structure amid widening internal…