Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Gunmen have abducted the Head of Legal Department at Oke Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State, Barrister Elizabeth Arinde. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, disclosed this in a statement signed by its Chairman, S.M.H. Kosemani, on Saturday. According to the association, Arinde was kidnapped on Friday while travelling from Oke Ero to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, alongside the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the council. “We are deeply concerned to inform you that Barrister Elizabeth Arinde, Head of the Legal Department at Oke Ero Local Government in Kwara State, has been kidnapped,” the NBA said in the…

A Magistrates’ Court sitting at Rijiyar Zaki, Kano State, has sentenced one Alhaji Inuwa Ayuba to two months’ imprisonment for the unlawful felling of seven neem trees in Sarauniya village, Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area. The court, however, gave Ayuba an option of a fine, in addition to ordering him to plant 14 neem trees as part of his punishment. The prosecution counsel, Barrister Bahijja H. Aliyu, told the court that the convict was apprehended following a swift response by the monitoring team of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. She explained that the team had received a tip-off…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced a cash reward for any individual who can provide credible evidence that a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate was posted to an examination town different from the one selected during registration. The Board made this known in a statement issued on Saturday by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, amid what it described as persistent misinformation regarding its examination centre placement process. JAMB stressed that contrary to widespread claims, no candidate is assigned to a town different from their preferred choice at the point of registration. “Some parents are continually being…

Daud Olatunji The newly appointed Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Ogun 1 Area Command, Comptroller GA Otunla, on Thursday officially assumed duty with a pledge to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor and intensify the fight against smuggling along the nation’s borders. Speaking at the handing-over ceremony held at the Command’s headquarters in Idiroko, Otunla who took over from Comptroller Salisbury Shuaib, expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the management of the Nigeria Customs Service for entrusting him with the responsibility. “I assure you all that I will give it my best, guided by…

The international spotlight is on Nigeria this week as both the UK and the FBI ramp up efforts to tackle serious crimes, with significant operations targeting immigration violations and online extortion scams. In a coordinated move by UK authorities, 43 individuals have been deported to Nigeria and Ghana, marking a major step in the UK’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. A statement released by the UK Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed the deportation of these offenders, including 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national criminals who had completed their prison sentences. Though the…

The Federal Government on Friday defended its decision to install a ₦10bn solar power system at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, citing the unsustainable ₦47bn annual electricity bill as a key motivation. Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja. He said the move was part of efforts to cut governance costs and align with President Bola Tinubu’s clean energy transition agenda. “This initiative will not only ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Villa, it will also drastically reduce dependence on the national grid, foster innovation, and create jobs for Nigerian…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated over N800 million worth of banned pesticides in a series of coordinated raids carried out across Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States. This operation, aimed at curbing the illegal distribution of hazardous agrochemicals, led to the seizure of 551 cartons of toxic pesticides across more than 16 retail outlets. The banned substances, including Chlorpyrifos, Paraquat, and Atrazine, were found to contain highly dangerous chemicals that pose severe health risks. NAFDAC has warned that these pesticides are not only carcinogenic but can also lead to respiratory failure, liver…

The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has raised alarm over the impact of inflation on the N70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu’s government, emphasizing that rising costs are severely affecting the purchasing power of Nigerian workers. Ajaero, speaking at the quadrennial delegates conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja, decried the escalating costs of essential services, particularly electricity tariffs and taxes, which now surpass the approved minimum wage. “This is a period where the tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase on the salaries,” Ajaero said. “It…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the arrest of 27 individuals for impersonation in the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on malpractice. The board, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Friday, disclosed that the suspects had been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for immediate prosecution. “These impostors were apprehended during the ongoing UTME across various centres. We remain committed to preserving the integrity of the examination process,” the statement read. In a separate move to uphold examination standards, JAMB also delisted four Computer-Based Test…

Telecommunications giant, MTN Group, has confirmed a cybersecurity breach that exposed personal data of customers in certain markets, raising concerns over data protection and cyber resilience across the continent. In a statement issued on Thursday, MTN said an “unknown third party” had gained unauthorised access to specific parts of its systems, although the company insisted that its core infrastructure — including network operations, billing systems and financial platforms — remained intact and secure. “At this stage, we do not have any information to suggest that customers’ accounts and wallets have been directly compromised,” the company said, while reassuring the public…