Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Demand Attorney-General’s Intervention, Compensation, and Public Apology Daud Olatunji A community of commercial farmers in Lagos State has accused the state government of abandoning them in the wake of a military invasion that reportedly destroyed farmland and agribusiness investments worth over ₦3 billion. The farmers, under the Afero Commercial Farmers’ Cooperative, say their land was lawfully allocated by the Lagos State Government but was forcefully taken over in December 2023 by operatives of the Nigerian Army, allegedly acting on behalf of the Federal Government. In a petition to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and a letter addressed to the Lagos State Attorney-General…

Daud Olatunji  The Ogun State Government, in collaboration with the State House of Assembly and civil society actors, has reaffirmed its commitment to ending gender-based violence (GBV) and ensuring equity and inclusion through far-reaching legislative reforms. Speaking during a high-level Parliamentary Dialogue on Monday, June 23, 2025, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, described the event as a “strategic battleground against injustice, ignorance, and indifference.” The dialogue, held at Mitros Residence in Abeokuta and facilitated under the World Bank-supported Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), focused on three critical legislative instruments—the Diversity, Equity and…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former Chief Financial Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Umar Ajiya Isa, in connection with an alleged $7.2 billion fraud linked to the failed rehabilitation of Nigeria’s three major refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri. Sources within the anti-graft agency confirmed that Isa is being investigated for his alleged role in the disbursement and possible misappropriation of billions of dollars earmarked for the turnaround maintenance of the refineries. According to credible EFCC insiders who spoke on condition of anonymity, the total amount under scrutiny is $2,956,872,622.36.…

…Police arrest 11 suspects, deploy anti-kidnapping team Tension has gripped residents of Ilero town in the Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo State following the abduction of two women and the gruesome killing of a farmer by suspected gunmen. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the two victims were abducted on Thursday while working at an agro-products shop in the town, triggering widespread fear and a protest by angry youths demanding the expulsion of suspected Fulani herders from the community. The incident, which occurred at a farm settlement on the outskirts of the town, has since sparked outrage among residents who…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has launched a nationwide agricultural mechanisation initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria’s farming sector, promising to make agriculture not only more productive but also appealing to the country’s youthful population. Speaking on Monday in Abuja during the official flag-off of the programme under his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, President Tinubu declared that modern equipment would soon replace archaic farming methods, thereby repositioning agriculture as a viable and exciting profession for Nigerian youths. “This equipment, when deployed, will empower mechanisation and service providers, create job opportunities, make farming easy and more ‘sexy’ to our young ones,” the President…

The political crisis rocking Rivers State deepened on Monday as Hector Ekakita, the Chief Security Officer of Ahoada East Local Government Area, distanced himself from the brutal assault on the council’s Sole Administrator, Mr Goodluck Iheamnacho, while linking the incident to political appointees loyal to the suspended Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Ekakita, who was recently named by the police as a prime suspect in the attack, denied any involvement, insisting that the chaos which led to Iheamnacho’s public humiliation and forced resignation was triggered by the council boss’s alleged patronage of Fubara’s political supporters. In an interview on a TV station,…

Nine leading Nigerian banks have reported a combined interest expense of N1.9 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, marking a sharp 43.2% increase from the N1.33 trillion recorded in the same period last year. This development, based on an analysis of the banks’ unaudited financial statements, signals growing funding pressures in Nigeria’s financial sector, even as total interest income from the lenders rose to N4.18 trillion within the same period. Interest expense refers to the cost banks incur in borrowing money, particularly what they pay on customer deposits and interbank borrowings. The rising figures suggest higher competition for deposits,…

A police officer has been shot dead and a Chinese expatriate kidnapped in a brazen daylight ambush by suspected gunmen in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State. The incident, which occurred around 1:22 p.m. on Saturday, targeted a convoy escorting Mr. Gu Xiaowu, a staff member of Rilix Mining Company operating in the Isanlu axis of the state. According to a confidential police situation report obtained by PLATFORM TIMES, the armed attackers laid siege to the escort team comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. They opened fire on the…

The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed police officers across the country to steer clear of civil land disputes, warning that any personnel found meddling in such matters will face stiff disciplinary action. This directive was reiterated by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, in a statement released on Sunday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye. CP Danjuma stated unequivocally that land-related disputes remain civil matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the courts, not the police. He warned that the Command would not tolerate any officer attempting to interfere or intimidate parties involved…

 A political storm has erupted over the legacy of Nigeria’s June 12, 1993, presidential election as former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido accused President Bola Tinubu of supporting the controversial annulment of the historic poll, widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Abiola. Lamido, in an interview on Arise Television on Saturday, claimed that Tinubu, a senator at the time under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), backed then military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s annulment of the election, which plunged Nigeria into years of political turmoil. According to Lamido, Tinubu only became prominent in the democratic struggle after General…