Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Three men arrested in connection with a cybercrime raid at a hotel located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have been convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, on Friday, found Isaac Akinwale, Ibrahim Azeez Olatunji, and Habeeb Oladipupo Oshundairo guilty of internet fraud-related offences. They were among 93 suspects apprehended in a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the Ogun State capital. The trio faced separate charges bordering on false pretence, identity theft, and obtaining money through fraud, in violation of the Cybercrimes…

Former Sokoto State governor and serving senator, Aminu Tambuwal, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of attempting to smear his public service record through what he described as politically motivated harassment. Tambuwal, who was released on bail on Thursday after spending a night in EFCC custody, told supporters at a reception in Sokoto that he would not be blackmailed or intimidated by the anti-graft agency. He said he honoured the EFCC’s invitation voluntarily on August 6 and again on August 11, but was shocked when the commission demanded sureties instead of granting him bail on personal recognisance.…

The Ogun State Government has issued another quit notice to a property linked to former Governor Gbenga Daniel, this time in Ijebu-Ode, intensifying the protracted dispute over the alleged violation of urban planning laws. The latest notice, served by the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority and sighted by PLATFORM TIMES, directs the owner or occupier of the Ijebu-Ode property to vacate the premises within a stipulated period or risk demolition. According to the notice, the order follows earlier contravention and stop-work directives issued to the property owner. The agency warned that valuables should be removed within the deadline,…

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a Port Harcourt-based cleric, Pastor Ifediorah Joseph, and four members of his church after a viral video showed a group of naked children being whipped in what was described as a “spiritual cleansing” ceremony. Pastor Joseph, 41, who heads Our Lord Victory Covenant Mission Church, Eneka, allegedly organised a three-day programme during which children aged between five and nine were beaten with palm fronds and bathed in pigeon’s blood. The disturbing video, which spread rapidly on social media, shows the cleric striking the minors one after another while other church members supervised. After…

The Federal Government has revealed that about 67 per cent of inmates in correctional facilities across Nigeria are awaiting trial. Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Thursday while speaking on Politics Today, a current affairs programme on Channels Television. He said two-thirds of inmates are state offenders, yet the Federal Government bears the cost of their upkeep. “By law, states can establish their own correctional centres. About 72 per cent of our inmates are state offenders, and 67 per cent are awaiting trial. The Federal Government is still the one taking responsibility,” the minister said. Tunji-Ojo stressed the…

The Ondo State Police Command has arrested seven suspected kidnappers of a lecturer at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, revealing that a commercial motorcyclist who routinely conveyed him to work was part of the syndicate. The victim, identified as Omoniyi Samuel, was abducted on August 4, 2025, after the okada operator, Benson Alaba, allegedly used his familiarity to spy on the lecturer’s movements and pave the way for the attack. Police investigations showed that Alaba, 45, visited the victim’s residence under the pretext of requesting a mobile phone, in what detectives described as a calculated ploy to monitor his schedule. Moments…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has slashed the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at its retail stations in the Federal Capital Territory from ₦945 to ₦890 per litre. The ₦55 reduction took effect on Thursday afternoon across several NNPCL outlets, including the mega station at Danziyal Plaza, Central Area, as well as stations in Wuse Zones 4 and 6. An attendant at one of the stations, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the price change, saying, “It was reduced to ₦890 per litre this afternoon, down from ₦945.” The price adjustment follows a recent downward…

Justice Dehinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has sentenced a man, Dauda Yakubu, to six months of community service for dealing in illicit drugs. Yakubu was arrested with 91 grams of cannabis sativa, 900 grams of codeine-based cough syrup, and 38 grams of tramadol tablets. The convict was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge of unlawful dealing in narcotics. According to the charge sheet, Yakubu committed the offence on June 25, 2025, at the Alaba Rago area of Ojo, Lagos State. The NDLEA told the court that his actions contravened and…

Nigeria is grappling with a deepening security crisis as over six million illegal small arms and light weapons are now in the possession of non-state actors, the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) has warned. According to the agency, the figure represents 70 per cent of the 11 million illicit arms circulating in West Africa. The revelation was made on Thursday in Calabar by the South-South Zonal Director of the NCCSALW, Alex Ebimiebo, during the Naval Warfare Course 9 Inter-Agency seminar organised by the Naval War College. Presenting a paper titled “Strengthening Security Agencies’…

A tragic altercation among children in Karaku community, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State, has left a 10-year-old boy, Abubakar Lawal, dead and another child hospitalised. The incident, which occurred around 5:30pm on Monday, August 11, unfolded when Abubakar and his nine-year-old friend, Hassan Adamu Umar, were returning home after grazing their sheep along a bush path. According to police sources, the duo was allegedly confronted and blocked by four other minors — Musa Aliyu, 10; Umaru Abdullahi, 6; Maryam Abdullahi, 10; and Fulaira Jika, 4. During the confrontation, Musa Aliyu was said to have attacked both boys with…