Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji Nigerian troops have arrested a suspected foreign operative linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) and killed an alleged ISWAP spy in separate counter-insurgency operations in Borno State, in what security sources described as significant breakthroughs in the fight against terrorism. The foreign suspect, believed to be an Arab of Moroccan origin, was arrested during a follow-up operation after troops repelled a coordinated terrorist attack on Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area. Security sources said the troops launched extensive search-and-pursuit missions after forcing the insurgents to retreat, abandoning weapons and other operational equipment. According to the sources, soldiers…

The Nigeria Police Force has commenced the interrogation of Adeniyi Adeyemi, the self-acclaimed Director-General of the alleged Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, following his arrest in Osun State over allegations of forgery, fraud and impersonation. Adeyemi was arrested after a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant against him for failing to appear for his scheduled arraignment before Justice Mohammed Umar. A video circulating online showed investigators asking Adeyemi to identify himself during interrogation. However, he reportedly declined, insisting that he had already provided his identity to officers who had questioned him earlier. The suspect was expected to…

Ayomide Awe Three newly graduated Nigerian Army personnel have reportedly been abducted by suspected bandits in Zamfara State while travelling to Kebbi State after completing their military training in Kaduna. The soldiers were said to have been kidnapped on July 2 along the Anka axis of Zamfara after the commercial vehicle conveying them and other passengers was ambushed by heavily armed gunmen. According to reports, the soldiers had just completed their passing-out exercise at the 26 Nigerian Army formation in Kaduna and were expected to be transported to Zuru, Kebbi State, by military authorities. However, sources familiar with the incident…

The House of Representatives on Tuesday abandoned its own constitutional amendment bill seeking the creation of state police and adopted the version transmitted by President Bola Tinubu for legislative consideration. The Executive bill, titled Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, scaled first and second readings during plenary before being referred to the House Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative scrutiny. The decision effectively puts the lawmakers’ earlier proposal on hold, signalling the House’s preference to work with the Presidency’s version as efforts to establish state police gather momentum. The constitutional review committee is…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aare Kazeem Bakinson, has launched a new political support group, Bakinson Movement for Yayi 2027, to mobilise grassroots support for the governorship ambition of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election. Bakinson, who announced the initiative in a letter addressed to the Director-General of the Yayi 2027 Campaign Organisation, said the movement would operate across Ogun State’s 20 local government areas, 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and 236 political wards. According to him, the group is designed to strengthen grassroots mobilisation, promote…

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State, Dr Ololade Kehinde, has commended President Bola Tinubu for retaining Vice President Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2027 presidential election. Kehinde, in a statement personally signed on Tuesday and made available to journalists, described the decision as a demonstration of fairness, equity and continuity in governance. He said Shettima had remained a loyal and dependable deputy whose performance in office justified the confidence reposed in him by the President and the ruling party. The APC stalwart recalled Shettima’s role during the build-up to the 2023 general elections,…

The Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election, Chief Toyin Anthony Amuzu, on Tuesday distributed free 4kg cooking gas cylinders to 600 residents of the constituency as part of efforts to cushion the impact of the prevailing economic hardship. The beneficiaries, drawn from different parts of Abeokuta South, were predominantly women. The distribution exercise, held at Ijeja, Abeokuta, lasted from about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Speaking during the exercise, Amuzu said the intervention was aimed at reducing the financial burden on households that depend on liquefied petroleum gas for cooking.…

A torrential downpour on Monday crippled commercial activities across several parts of Lagos, leaving motorists and commuters stranded as floodwaters submerged vehicles and triggered gridlock on major roads. The worst-hit areas included Ikoyi, Lekki, Victoria Island and Oworonshoki, where overflowing floodwaters rendered several roads impassable and forced many residents to abandon their vehicles. Videos circulating on social media showed long queues of stationary vehicles, with some motorists trapped for hours while pedestrians waded through knee-deep floodwaters to reach their destinations. Residents described the rainfall as one of the heaviest in recent weeks, saying it disrupted businesses, delayed movement and reduced…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a man, Muhammad Sani, to 20 years’ imprisonment for concealing information about a notorious bandit allegedly involved in supplying arms and ammunition to kidnappers and terrorists in Niger State. PLATFORM TIMES reports that Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the sentence on Monday after convicting Sani on two terrorism-related counts under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The court found Sani guilty of conspiring to conceal information about an alleged notorious bandit identified as Danranmi, who is currently at large, and failing to report intelligence that could have aided law enforcement agencies…

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has called for visa restrictions and economic sanctions against some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in the state over alleged involvement in political violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election. Adeleke made the call during a meeting with a British diplomatic delegation in Osogbo, according to a statement issued on Monday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed. The governor alleged that five members of the Accord Party had been killed, while 15 others sustained serious injuries in attacks allegedly carried out by suspected APC thugs since the commencement of campaigns for the 2026 governorship…