Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government on Monday raised fresh concerns over the growing abuse of digital platforms in Nigeria after Google, TikTok and LinkedIn confirmed the deactivation of more than 28 million fraudulent accounts linked to Nigerian online actors within one year. The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, who disclosed this in Abuja, warned that the scale of deception uncovered by the platforms shows that social media is increasingly being weaponised to defraud individuals, impersonate professionals, inflame crises and spread harmful content. Abdullahi spoke at a symposium on digital innovation and crisis communication organised by the…

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Monday presented the ₦891.98 billion 2026 Appropriation Bill to the State House of Assembly, describing it as the “Budget of Economic Expansion” aimed at consolidating the state’s economic growth and preparing it for global market integration. Governor Makinde told lawmakers at the Assembly Chambers, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, that the budget was structured to stimulate productivity while sustaining social services without increasing the tax burden on citizens. Of the total budget, ₦502.8 billion (56.7%) is earmarked for capital expenditure, while ₦389.1 billion (43.3%) is allocated to recurrent spending. Key sectors highlighted include infrastructure (₦210.02…

Nigerian troops have arrested another suspected kidnap kingpin in Taraba State, marking a major breakthrough in the ongoing Operation Zafin Wuta, the military’s clearance mission targeting criminal gangs terrorising communities in the southern part of the state. The suspect, identified as Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, was apprehended on November 23, 2025 during a covert operation in Wukari Local Government Area, according to a statement issued on Monday by Lt. Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade. Bawa was arrested while attempting to flee the area as troops intensified operations against criminal hideouts. Army authorities described the suspect as…

The South-West Governors’ Forum has renewed its demand for the creation of state police to tackle rising insecurity across the region and the country. The call came on Monday following a closed-door meeting at the Oyo State Governor’s Office in Ibadan, which lasted several hours. The meeting was chaired by Lagos State Governor and Forum Chairman, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and attended by governors of Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo states. Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke was represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi. Sanwo-Olu, while reading the communiqué at the end of the meeting, said the governors had taken stock of security…

Former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has advised Governor Ademola Adeleke to pursue his 2026 re-election bid on the platform of the Accord Party rather than the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Speaking on a Yoruba talk show on Rave FM, Oyinlola said the ADC “fell short of the standard” required to support Adeleke’s gubernatorial ambitions. He added that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) were not viable options, describing APGA as an “Igbo party” and NNPP as “Hausa-dominated.” “Our governor wants re-election, but the crisis in the PDP at the national level could hinder…

The federal government has announced plans to begin automatic tax deductions from the bank accounts of Nigerians with unexplained income starting 2026. Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, saying the move is part of a broader effort to modernise Nigeria’s tax system and ensure compliance. Oyedele explained that the government would use advanced fiscal monitoring tools to identify individuals whose incomes fall within taxable brackets but who are underreporting or not paying taxes. “Instead of relying solely on citizens to voluntarily declare…

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has condemned the escalating insecurity under President Bola Tinubu, warning that Nigeria is teetering on the brink of institutional collapse. Speaking on social media on Monday, Ezekwesili linked the recent spate of violent attacks and mass abductions, including the Kwara worshippers’ attack and the Kebbi schoolgirl kidnappings, to “systemic corruption” that has eroded the country’s key institutions, including the military and judiciary. “Failing to protect Nigerian children is the highest acceptance of governing without legitimacy, Mr President. Cancerous systemic corruption has metastasised into our political culture and is now imploding Nigeria,” she said. Ezekwesili,…

The United Kingdom government has rejected Nigeria’s request to transfer former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, back home to complete his prison sentence, PLATFORM TIMES has learnt. The decision means the embattled lawmaker will remain in a British correctional facility where he is currently serving a nine-year and eight-month jail term for organ trafficking. Ekweremadu, alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, was convicted in 2023 after a high-profile trial at the Old Bailey which exposed a plot to traffic a young man to London for the harvesting of his kidney for the couple’s ailing daughter, Sonia. A diplomatic…

Tension is mounting across Oyo State as operatives of the Oyo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, have announced plans for a statewide strike and protest over the government’s failure to issue them appointment letters nearly five years after the outfit was created. The aggrieved operatives, who described themselves as “contract staff under slavery conditions,” said frustration has reached breaking point across all 33 local government areas due to what they called deliberate neglect by Governor Seyi Makinde, Chairman of the Amotekun Board, AIG Sikiru Akande (retd.), and the State Commandant, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (retd.). In a statement issued on behalf…

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) on Monday announced a major overhaul of Nigeria’s asset declaration process, introducing a new digital platform that will, for the first time, capture cryptocurrency and other emerging forms of digital wealth owned by public officers. The Chairman of the Bureau, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this in Abuja at a two-day stakeholder workshop on the Assets and Liabilities Declaration System (ALDS). Bello, who was represented by CCB Board Member, Justice Ibrahim Buba (rtd), said the upgraded system marks a critical shift from the outdated manual process that has long slowed verification and weakened compliance. “This…