Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended two elderly individuals in Maiduguri and Gamboru-Ngala areas of Borno State for their involvement in drug trafficking. The suspects were identified as 70-year-old Mallam Mai Gemu Adam and 65-year-old Yamama Musa. NDLEA Director of Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, announced the arrests on Sunday, revealing that the grandfathers were taken into custody along with 24-year-old Abubakar Ya’u and 28-year-old Babagana Abubakar Ali on Saturday. The joint operation resulted in the recovery of 32,000 ampoules of tramadol injection from the suspects. “In Borno state, NDLEA operatives arrested Mallam Mai Gemu Adam, 70, and…

Former aviation minister Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode has pointed fingers at international communities and agencies for the persistent mass abduction of children and pupils by terrorists in Nigeria. Recent incidents in Kaduna, Borno, and Sokoto, where hundreds were kidnapped within three days, have raised serious concerns. The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the abduction of 15 Almajiri students in the Gada Local Government Area on Saturday. Responding to these events, Fani-Kayode, in a press statement, alleged that these abductions aimed to undermine Bola Tinubu’s leadership and potentially lead to the country’s dissolution. Fani-Kayode outlined two primary motives behind the abductions: acquiring…

Female miners in Nasarawa, operating under the banner of Women in Mining Nigeria (WIMIN), have sounded the alarm about the prevalent harassment and rape they endure at various mining sites in the state. Janet Adeyemi, the National President of WIMIN,raised the alarm during a two-day policy dialogue with stakeholders in the mining sector in Nasarawa. Adeyemi, expressing her commitment to combatting the persistent rise in Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), revealed that a staggering 23.1% of women in mining communities face sexual violence, surpassing the 18.7% recorded in non-mining communities. The challenges, as explained by Adeyemi, are compounded by weak regulatory…

The police authorities have taken decisive action against officers involved in an alleged $3,000 USDT extortion case in Port Harcourt. Inspector Michael Odey, a key figure in the scandal, has already faced dismissal, while ASP Doubara Edonyabor and ASP Talent Mungo have been officially suspended, as confirmed by the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko. The statement issued on Sunday revealed that the Police Service Commission (PSC) approved the suspensions of the two officers, effective from 29/02/2024, and halted their salaries. The implicated officers are slated to appear before the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC), which addresses disciplinary issues…

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), says preparations for the 2024 Hajj exercise has reached about 70 per cent. Its Chairman, Alhaji Jalal Ahmad-Arabi, told journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday, that the commission would ensure a successful Hajj exercise. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ahmad-Arabi was in the state for a facility tour at the Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport and the Kebbi Hajj camp. The tour is to ascertain the suitability of the airport to be one of the centres for the airlift of pilgrims during the 2024 Hajj operation. He said:…

The United States government has condemned the abduction of scores of school children and women in Kaduna State, the northern part of Nigeria.  The US Mission in Nigeria, on its official X page on Saturday, also condemned the displaced persons abducted in Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, where suspected Boko Haram terrorists kidnapped over 100 internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Mission urged the Nigerian government to arrest the perpetrators and ensure they face the consequences. “The United States strongly condemns the kidnapping of schoolchildren in Kaduna and displaced persons in Borno. Our hearts go out to the victims’ families.  “We stand…

A 14-year-old inmate,Abdullahi Surajo, known as Bolo, has pleaded with Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to secure his release from the correctional centre. Speaking from Kurumawa Maximum Prison, Kano Stats, Bolo said he was suffering from denial of justice. He stated this during a visit by the IG Special Taskforce (Police Duty Solicitors Scheme),  emotionally expressing, “Tell our governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to help me out of this hell at the centre of the city because I have been denied access to justice.” Despite admitting to forcibly dispossessing a lady of her phone in collaboration with others,  Bolo tearfully…

In a distressing turn of events, Shyngle Wigwe, the biological father of the late Chief Executive Officer of Access Holdings, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, collapsed on Saturday and was promptly rushed to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention. The news of his sudden health crisis was disseminated by Tony Ogbuagu, a well-known influencer on X (formerly Twitter), who refuted the circulating rumors of the senior Wigwe’s demise.  Ogbuagu clarified, stating, “Herbert Wigwe’s father is not dead, please.  He only slumped and has been taken to the hospital. Make una slow down with all these bad news.” Despite the conflicting reports,…

Senator Abdul Ningi, Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum and representative of Bauchi Central Senatorial District, has raised concerns over a significant budgetary discrepancy between the approved budget by the Nigerian Senate and the one being implemented by the presidency. In a statement obtained by our correspondent on Saturday,  Senator Abdul Ningi disclosed that, contrary to the National Assembly-approved budget of ₦25 trillion, an additional ₦3 trillion has been included in the presidency’s budget.  This, he notes, is the most substantial case of budget padding in Nigerian history under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Senator Abdul Ningi emphasized,…

Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has mandated that health workers seeking opportunities abroad must resign from their positions before embarking on such journeys.  Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health, delivered this directive on Saturday, highlighting a paradigm shift in addressing the challenge of brain drain, colloquially known as the ‘Japa Syndrome,’ within the nation’s health sector. The minister underscored the government’s determination to curb the trend of health professionals leaving the country for better prospects after applying for leave of absence.  This policy change has its roots in an executive order issued by President Bola Tinubu as…