Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Balkis Adeniji The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has apprehended Ndifreke Isaiah Nelson, aged 32, in connection with the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Emem Monday Effanga, aged 39, and the subsequent theft of her mobile phone. The incident, which occurred in February 2025, sent shockwaves through the community of Uyo, where Effanga was found lifeless in her apartment, bearing visible signs of violence on her face and neck. According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, Nelson was traced to a local church following extensive intelligence operations. “Upon arrival at the scene, officers discovered clear indications…

Daud Olatunji No fewer than 26,000 children and young persons under 21 years old are thrown into correctional facilities in Nigeria every year, with a staggering 74% of them languishing in custody without trial, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed. This shocking statistic was disclosed at the second public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Degrading Treatment against the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), held on Friday in Abuja. Stakeholders, including the National Judicial Council (NJC), UNICEF, and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, made a strong case for rehabilitation over…

Nigeria has recorded 23 new suspected cases of diphtheria in the 10th epidemiological week of 2025, with Lagos State emerging as the most affected, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has reported. According to the latest situation report, Lagos accounted for 20 cases, while Katsina State recorded three. The surge in infections in Lagos follows the outbreak at King’s College Lagos, where 14 students were infected and one fatality was recorded. Following the outbreak, the Lagos State Government launched an emergency vaccination campaign targeting students and staff. Most of the infected students are receiving treatment at the…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has announced the recovery of N365.4 billion and the successful prosecution of 4,111 cases in 2024. The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Saturday at the conclusion of a three-day retreat for the commission’s directors in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The retreat, themed “EFCC: The Journey So Far, Ensuring Professionalism and Integrity,” focused on strategies to enhance efficiency and public trust in the agency’s operations. According to a statement by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Olukoyede attributed the commission’s achievements to the dedication and sacrifices of its personnel. He assured that within the next…

Troops of Operation Fansa Yamma have neutralised at least 31 bandits in two separate operations in Katsina State, dealing a significant blow to criminal elements terrorising the region. In the first operation at Maigora village in Faskari Local Government Area, soldiers engaged the bandits in combat, eliminating 12 of them, including a notorious commander identified as Dogo. Seven motorcycles used by the criminals were also seized. The confrontation initially led to the death of five bandits after they attacked the village. However, when the insurgents regrouped and launched a counteroffensive, military forces responded with superior firepower, killing seven more. In…

Tension has gripped residents of Owo, Ondo State, following the abduction of a businessman, Tope Faji, along with his wife and daughter, by unknown gunmen. The kidnappers have reportedly demanded a ransom of N30 million for their release. The incident occurred in front of the victims’ residence along Ipele Road, Owo, in Owo Local Government Area. According to family sources, the abductors later reduced the ransom demand to N20 million, but communication with them has since ceased, heightening fears about the victims’ safety. A family source narrated how the abduction unfolded, saying they had spent time together earlier in the…

A Lagos-based member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ushie Uguamaye, may face a 30-day extension of her service with half pay after publicly criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Uguamaye, who is known as @talktoraye on TikTok, recently posted a video condemning the economic hardship Nigerians have faced since Tinubu assumed office. Following the video’s circulation, she claimed she received a phone call from an NYSC official threatening her over her remarks. In another video, Uguamaye disclosed that she had been summoned to the NYSC office in Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Lagos, on Monday. She also expressed concerns for…

For the second time in less than two weeks, military personnel have allegedly attacked electricity distribution workers in Lagos, leaving some staff members hospitalised. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the latest incident occurred at the Badagry Injection Substation, where soldiers from the Nigerian Army’s 15th Field Engineers Regiment in Topo Town reportedly assaulted Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) workers in the early hours of Thursday. This attack follows a similar incident on March 7, when officers of the Nigerian Air Force from the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base in Ikeja allegedly assaulted Ikeja Electric (IE) staff at the company’s headquarters in…

Awe Ayomide The recently freed Afenifere National Youth President, Eniola Ojajuni, has raised the alarm over the escalating security crisis in the South-West, revealing that kidnappers have set up no fewer than 55 camps across the region. Ojajuni, who endured 12 harrowing days in captivity, was abducted on February 17, 2025, while traveling from Ondo State to Abuja. He disclosed that the kidnappers operate extensively in Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Ogun states. In a statement on Sunday, Ojajuni revealed that the kidnappers openly discussed their plans to intensify abductions in Ondo and Lagos states, boasting of their well-organised camps strategically…

The Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, has strongly dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of the ongoing Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project, calling the claims of wastefulness and corruption unfounded. Umahi, speaking at a press briefing on the project’s progress, accused Obasanjo of lacking the moral authority to criticize the ambitious infrastructure initiative championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Obasanjo, in his recently released book Nigeria: Past and Future, had described the N15.6 trillion coastal highway project as wasteful, linking it to alleged corrupt practices and referencing past government projects like the Siemens power project and the privatization of national…