Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested 130 suspects comprising 113 foreign nationals (87 males and 26 females) for their alleged involvement in high-level cybercrimes, hacking, and activities that threaten national security. The foreign nationals are primarily of Chinese and Malaysian origin. Seventeen (four males and three females) others were identified by the police as their Nigerian. ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer, in a statement on Sunday, said, “This strategic operation was conducted through a coordinated raid on a building at the Next Cash and Carry area of Jahi, Abuja, where the suspects were reportedly using computers and other…

Today, I’m diving into Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, a book that took me longer than expected to finish—not because it wasn’t captivating, but because I’ve recently drifted away from the fantasy genre, gravitating more towards historical fiction. Still, I know this is just a phase, and eventually, I’ll circle back to my fantasy roots.Tomi Adeyemi is a remarkably talented writer. Going into this book, I expected something akin to Harry Potter, one of the works that inspired her. But I quickly realized that Adeyemi is in a league of her own, delivering a richly woven tale…

A prominent advertising agency network, has solidified its reputation as an industry leader by winning multiple top accolades at the 2024 Brand Com Awards. The event, organized by Brand Com Magazine and held in Lagos, celebrated excellence in marketing communications, with Dentsu Nigeria emerging as a major honoree. For the second time in 2024, Dentsu Nigeria was awarded the Most Outstanding Marketing Communications Group, a testament to its innovative approach and consistent commitment to client success, according to Olalekan Raji, Corporate Communications Manager of Dentsu Nigeria. “This recognition underscores Dentsu Nigeria’s dedication to pushing boundaries in advertising and setting new…

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering N40.14 billion in road taxes to state governments in 2023, marking a 63.36 percent increase from the N24.57 billion collected in 2022. The significant rise in road tax collections highlights the growing role of these levies in supporting state finances. Lagos State, often recognized as Nigeria’s economic hub, led the states by a wide margin, generating N16.74 billion in road taxes, which accounted for 41.7 percent of the national total in 2023. This achievement is particularly noteworthy, as Lagos had no recorded revenue from road taxes in…

The International Press Centre (IPC) has revealed that 65 journalists and two media organizations in Nigeria experienced various forms of attack between January and September 2024. This finding was disclosed in a report released by IPC’s Safety and Protection of Journalists Hub (SPJ-Hub) on Saturday in Akure, as part of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The report recorded a total of 40 incidents of assault on journalists, ranging from harassment and intimidation to physical violence, unlawful detention, and, in some cases, gun threats. Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Rivers, Ogun, Abuja, Oyo, Katsina, Abia, Delta, Enugu, Akwa…

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerian universities to live up to expectations as vanguards of research, teaching and community service to improve human life and fast-track national development. Mr Tinubu made the call on Saturday at the ninth convocation ceremony of the Federal University Dutsin-ma, Katsina State. Represented by the vice-chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa, Abdulkarim Sabo-Mohammed, the president said: “Education is a cornerstone of national development. Therefore, it must be responsive and transformative. “I urge Nigerian universities to live up to expectations as vanguard of research, teaching and community service, in line with their tripartite mandate in…

The federal government has released the withheld salaries of striking non-academic staff in federal universities. Bawa Mokwa, the director of press at the office of the accountant-general of the federation (OSGF), spoke to TheCable on Saturday. He said disbursement covers the benefits payable to retirees under the contributory pension scheme of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners. On October 28, non-teaching staff unions in federal universities began an indefinite nationwide strike over withheld salaries from 2022. The Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) are key stakeholders. Mokwa said the payment of withheld salaries has…

Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), says the fainting by some minors at the Abuja federal high court was “scripted”. On Friday, the police arraigned 76 suspects – who are mostly minors – for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest in August. They are facing 10 counts bordering on mutiny, treason, and destruction of public property. Before they could take a plea, at least four of them collapsed. The court later granted the defendants – who looked ill and malnourished – N10 million bail each. In a statement, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson of the police, quoted Egbetokun as saying that the police…

Muyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), says individuals above seven years old can be charged in court. The force spokesperson’s comment comes in the wake of outrage over the arraignment of minors for participating in the #EndBadGovernance protest. Between August 1 and 10, the protest was held nationwide to demand a reduction in the cost of governance, the return of petrol subsidy, improved food security and fiscal discipline, among others. The protest turned violent in some parts of the country while hoodlums looted and vandalised public and private properties. After the protests, the police announced the arrest…

The outgoing Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki has said he would not want to be remembered for his many ‘fights’. Obaseki made this remark while answering questions from newsmen on Friday shortly after he commissioned the Airport road Parks and Garden. When asked how he will like to be remembered after his tenure, he said, “Certainly not for the fights” apparently referring to the many political battle he fought against his political opponents and benefactors. On his plans on sustaining the project beyond his administration, he said, “When we thought about all these public spaces and how to…