Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji A  Federal High Court has sentenced Freeman Charles Ogbonna to 25 years in prison for drug trafficking, following his arrest by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja, Lagos.  Ogbonna, a Delhi-bound passenger, was apprehended on March 31st while attempting to board a flight to Delhi, India via Doha on Qatar Airways, using a Liberian passport bearing the name Carr Bismark. The NDLEA’s vigilance at the screening point of terminal 2 led to Ogbonna’s detention after a body scan revealed he had ingested illicit drugs.  Subsequent investigations uncovered his…

The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Honourable Elemide Oludaisi, has pledged to address the grievances of communities in Obafemi Owode Local Government over alleged land grabbing. The commitment was made during a protest at the State House of Assembly on Tuesday. Residents of Agboro and Latunde communities had accused the Olu of Obafe, Taofeek Owolabi, of forcefully taking over 500 hectares of their land. In response to the protest, Hon. Elemide reassured the protesters of the state’s zero tolerance for land grabbing, echoing recent warnings from Governor Dapo Abiodun to monarchs about illegal land sales. “We have…

Daud Olatunji In a striking demonstration of economic disparity, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have emerged as the primary destinations for foreign capital in Nigeria for the first quarter of 2024.  According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report released on Monday, Nigeria attracted a total of $3.38 billion in foreign investments during this period—a staggering 210 percent increase from the $1.09 billion recorded in the previous quarter and a 198.06 percent rise from the $1.13 billion in the same period last year. The report reveals that Lagos alone accounted for a significant 82 percent of this…

Minister of Housing and Urban Development,Ahmed Dangiwa, has  disclosed that more than 80% of Nigerians are unable to afford mortgage housing.  Speaking at the maiden edition of the Kaduna International Housing Exhibition at the Yar’Adua Hall on Monday, the minister painted a bleak picture of housing affordability in the country. Dangiwa highlighted that nearly half of Nigeria’s population of over 201 million are living in poverty, with an overwhelming majority having weak purchasing power.  He noted that recent macro-economic challenges, including inflation, have exacerbated the situation. “In fact, of the 43 million households, over 85% have less than N1.1 million…

… Intercepts N9.6 billion Drugs  Daud Olatunji  The Nigeria Customs Service has seized 844 assorted rifles and 112,500 rounds of live ammunition at Onne Port, Rivers State allegedly from Turkey.  The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi,disposed this  during a media briefing on Monday at the Onne Area 2 Command. Adeniyi explained that the seizure was the result of meticulous intelligence gathering and risk assessment.  He added that the  contraband, concealed in a 40-foot container labeled MAEU-165396 originating from Turkey, was intercepted on June 21, 2024.  The rifles and ammunition were hidden among innocuous items such as dolls, furniture, and…

Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission has made 142 recommendations to improve future electoral processes.  Yakubu said this on Monday in Lagos at the opening of a two-day induction retreat for resident electoral commissioners (RECs). He said the commission had published the report on the review of the 2023 elections and that it was already available on its website. “But there is also the outcome of the retreats and engagements with stakeholders, which is now being published. “I can tell you that the commission has made 142 recommendations…

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has killed 70 Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin.  PLATFORM TIMES reports that the action is part of the ongoing Operation Lake Sanity 2, aimed at eradicating terrorism from the region. The chief spokesperson of the MNJTF,Lt. Col. Abubakar Abdullahi disclosed this on Monday . The MNJTF, through intensified aerial operations, has obliterated terrorist camps located on islets across the Cameroonian and Nigerian territories of Lake Chad.  These airstrikes have not only eliminated a significant number of terrorists but also forced others to retreat into Chad. The destruction extended to…

 Lucky Okodeh, the former caretaker chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, has filed a two- billion naira billion  lawsuit against the Nigerian Army. Okodeh is challenging the military for wrongly including his photograph on a wanted list following the killing of 17 soldiers in Delta State. The suit, lodged at the Federal High Court in Abuja, names the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Chief of Army Staff (CAS) as the first and second respondents respectively.  Represented by renowned human rights lawyer Femi Falana, Okodeh is seeking N2 billion in damages for the alleged…

A  flood disaster has severely impacted over 4,000 Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines at the  Independent National Electoral Commission offices.  The  INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, disclosed this during the opening of a two-day induction retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Lagos State on Monday. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the  BVAS machines, critical for the smooth conduct of elections, were submerged in floodwaters.  Prof. Yakubu, however, provided some relief by announcing that INEC had managed to recover more than 3,500 of the affected machines. “Despite the successful recovery of a significant number of BVAS machines, we remain concerned…

Daud Olatunji An Ikeja High Court in Lagos has ordered the immediate release of Kazeen Adeshina, who spent 15 years in a correctional facility without charge or trial.  Justice Oyindamola Ogala presided over  a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Adeshina’s counsel, Mr. Ben Okeke.  The suit, marked No: D/16997MFHR/24,  highlighted the gross injustice faced by Adeshina.  In her judgement, Justice Ogala declared that Adeshina’s prolonged detention without trial was both illegal and unjustifiable, constituting a severe violation of his fundamental human rights. “The arrest and continued detention of Adeshina in the custody of the Medium Correctional Centre, Kirikiri,…