Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Lagos State Police Command has busted a suspected cross-border child trafficking syndicate allegedly specialising in luring and transporting young Nigerian women to Ghana for prostitution. Four suspected members of the network are in custody while 11 victims, aged between 15 and 29, have been rescued and placed in protective care. Police spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement on Friday that the operation began on August 13 when operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted a 15-year-old girl in the company of a commercial motorcyclist, Mustapha Abubakar, identified as one of the recruiters. “The teenager was minutes away…

The  rraging fire on Friday evening gutted the head office of Fresh FM Nigeria in the Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State, destroying key facilities of two of the city’s most popular radio stations. The inferno, which broke out during live broadcast operations, swept through the studios of Fresh 105.9 FM and Blast 98.3 FM, as well as the newsroom, transmitter/server room, and several adjoining offices. Samson Akindele, Group Head of Corporate Affairs for Fresh FM Nigeria and Yinka Ayefele Limited, confirmed the incident in a statement, describing it as “devastating” and a major blow to the media outfit. “We…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a bank draft of ₦100 million recovered from defaulting mining companies in Akwa Ibom State to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. The presentation, held at the EFCC’s Uyo Zonal Command on Friday, was made by the Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE I) Oshodi Johnson, on behalf of the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede. According to the EFCC, the funds were recovered from mining firms that had failed to remit statutory royalties to the Federal Government. While handing over the draft to Mr. Emmanuel Effiong Bassey, the…

Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has warned members of the public to be wary of fraudsters using WhatsApp to impersonate him. Kalu, in a statement issued on Thursday by his media office, said the scammers had been contacting unsuspecting Nigerians using two mobile numbers falsely linked to him. He emphasised that he has maintained only one mobile line since he joined network services and has never changed it. “Kindly disregard the two numbers claiming to be Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” the statement read. “Since the inception of network services, Senator Kalu has consistently been in communication with a…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared four local government areas in Borno State unsafe for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, citing persistent security threats. The affected LGAs—Abadam, Guzamala, Kala-Balge, and Marte—will have their registration centres relocated from their headquarters to designated safe points within Maiduguri metropolis. Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji, announced the decision during a press briefing in Maiduguri on Friday, stressing that the measure was necessary to protect both staff and residents. “Due to security concerns and safety considerations, the four INEC LGA offices will conduct physical registration at alternative locations…

A spontaneous outpouring of affection greeted Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as residents openly endorsed him for the 2027 governorship race. What began as a routine drive to an event quickly turned into a celebratory procession when locals recognised Isola’s vehicle and surrounded it with chants and songs of praise. The crowd’s chorus, rendered in Yoruba, rang through the streets: “Ẹ jáde, kẹ wá bá wa gbé Sarafa ga; àt’ọ̀nìlé pẹ̀lú àlejò, ẹ gbé ga; àt’ọmọde pẹ̀lú àgbà, ẹ gbé ga!” — calling on both indigenes and…

The Nigerian Bar Association, Abeokuta branch, has pledged free legal representation for the 93 persons arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on August 10 at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta. The branch chairman, Chief ’Kayode Aderemi, in a statement on Friday, said the association had mobilised a team of lawyers to defend the detainees and ensure their fundamental rights were protected throughout the legal process. He stressed that the NBA would monitor the arraignment and bail applications to ensure the EFCC and other authorities strictly adhere to due process. Aderemi said, “We are committed to upholding the…

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has dissolved the Onikan Tactical Squad following allegations that its operatives extorted N3 million from a motorist. The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a Friday statement that the commissioner had interrogated the officers and met with the victim, identified on X as @Tife_badass. The officers have been placed on an orderly room trial, with the outcome to be made public. Boluwatife alleged that the policemen falsely accused him of killing officers in Lekki before handcuffing him and his friend, bundling them into a patrol vehicle, and taking them to the Onikan…

The Ogun State Police Command has vowed to clamp down on vote buying, thuggery and other electoral malpractices as residents of the Remo Federal Constituency head to the polls on Saturday for a bye-election. The constituency, comprising Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo North Local Government Areas, will experience a total restriction of movement from midnight until 4:00 p.m., according to police authorities. Police spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, in a statement on Friday, said the command had deployed a “robust security architecture” in collaboration with other agencies, including reinforcement from Zone 2 Command, Lagos, to ensure a peaceful and transparent exercise. She…

The House of Representatives has summoned Ibrahim Auyo, a lawmaker from Jigawa State, to provide evidence to back his claim that members pay as much as N3 million to present bills, motions, and petitions on the floor of the Green Chamber. Auyo, who represents Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency under the All Progressives Congress, stirred controversy after a video of him addressing his constituents in Hausa went viral. In the footage, the lawmaker told the gathering that legislators pay between N1 million and N3 million to get their proposals presented and that lobbying fellow lawmakers to pass them requires additional resources.…