Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Nigerian Army has announced fresh breakthroughs in its nationwide operations against terrorists and criminal gangs, arresting a notorious female logistics supplier allegedly linked to Zamfara bandit kingpin, Ado Aliero. The arrest, carried out between September 4 and 6, 2025, came as troops intensified clearance operations across Zamfara, Borno, Adamawa, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), recovering arms, petroleum products, and a stolen vehicle in the process. According to an operational report, troops of 1 Brigade, in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), apprehended the female suspect at Kucheri, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara…

The United States government has deported at least 2,330 Nigerians between 2014 and early 2025, with an additional 3,690 others currently facing removal orders, according to official data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A review of ICE’s annual statistical reports reveals that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of deportations from Africa, surpassing Somalia (1,539), Ghana (1,380), and Senegal (1,122) within the same period. Between 2014 and 2024 alone, 2,310 Nigerians were deported, while another 20 were removed in the first quarter of 2025. The yearly breakdown shows wide fluctuations in removals: 261 in 2014, 224 in…

The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has dissociated itself from a strike action declared by its Western Zone against the Dangote Petroleum Refinery’s fuel distribution model, describing the move as unauthorized and misleading. The Western Zone, led by Chairman, Basorun Joseph Akanni, and Acting Secretary, Adeleke Adeoye, had in a statement accused the Dangote Refinery of violating the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by deploying its own trucks for fuel distribution. The zone had also directed marketers in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states to begin an indefinite strike on Monday. But in a…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that the recently approved ₦70,000 national minimum wage has already been eroded by inflation and soaring living costs, insisting that Nigerian workers can no longer survive on it. The demand comes barely a year after President Bola Tinubu signed the new wage law in July 2024, which raised the statutory base pay from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 for workers across the federal, state, and private sectors. But according to the NLC, the relentless increase in food prices, transportation costs, rent, and electricity tariffs has rendered the new wage “grossly inadequate.” Speaking in an interview…

Olagoke Adams, Muraina Lateef, Adesanya Adeola  & Adeyemi Hakeem  Just a stone’s throw behind Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, lies a community that has been left behind by time and policy. Agbadu Village, home to generations of Ijemo Agbadu people, stands today as a portrait of neglect — a settlement stripped of basic amenities, facing the dual threats of institutional expansion and encroaching herders. For decades, the villagers survived on cassava farming, cultivating the same lands their forefathers tilled. But now, their existence is under siege. On one side, MAPOLY’s expansion threatens to bulldoze homes and farmlands;…

Yusroh Lawal  The Nigeria Police Force is once again facing a storm of public outrage following fresh allegations of corruption and abuse of power against a senior officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ogundele Olorunwa, who currently serves as Area Commander, Zone 2, Abeokuta. In a strongly worded petition, the Ogun State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) accused Olorunwa of institutionalising bribery, undermining court orders, and exploiting complainants who approached his office for justice. The allegations, if proven, could deepen public mistrust in a police system already struggling to rebuild its credibility. “Justice for…

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised strong objections to the programme of events for the coronation of the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, describing it as an attempt to deprive Muslims of their right to Friday worship. The coronation ceremony, slated for Friday, September 26, 2025, has been faulted by the Islamic rights group over the scheduling of activities that clash with the weekly Jumu’ah prayers. In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, MURIC said it found the omission of Friday prayer in the coronation timetable “repulsive, provocative, insensitive and unacceptable.” “Although…

At least 63 people, including five soldiers, have been killed following a renewed attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Darajamal, a resettled community in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, who visited the community on Saturday, confirmed the death toll, describing the assault as a devastating setback for families who had only recently returned after years of displacement. The victims, mostly civilians, were killed on Friday night when insurgents stormed the village, shooting indiscriminately and torching homes. The attack occurred barely two months after the state government resettled hundreds of displaced residents back into the…

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has alleged that at least six of its members were killed and more than 100 cows rustled in different parts of Enugu State within the past two months. National Deputy Director-General of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who addressed journalists in Enugu on Saturday alongside bereaved families and South-East executives of the association, described the killings as “a dangerous trend” capable of escalating tension in the state. According to Siddiki, the killings were recorded in Akpugo, Nkanu West, Uzo-Uwani, Udi, Ezeagu and Oji River local government areas, despite ongoing peace accords with…

Despite mounting criticism over worsening economic hardship, the Federal Government has justified its proposed five per cent fuel tax, insisting the levy will serve as a dedicated fund for road infrastructure and maintenance. The chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on Saturday while circulating a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the controversial policy. According to the government, the surcharge, which will be activated at the discretion of the Minister of Finance, is a global best practice adopted in over 150 countries, where fuel levies range from 20 to 80 per…