Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a sharp rebound in Nigeria’s inflation, forecasting a 37% headline rate in 2026, even as temporary relief is expected in 2025 with inflation averaging 26.5%. This was disclosed in the IMF’s April 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO), which highlights persistent economic fragility in Nigeria despite recent policy reforms. The inflation forecast comes on the heels of a Consumer Price Index (CPI) rebasing by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which saw inflation figures recalibrated to reflect more current consumption patterns. The Fund noted that although inflation may ease this year from the 33.2%…

Scores of demonstrators on Tuesday besieged the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, demanding a thorough investigation into the tenure of the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari. The protesters, operating under the banner of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption (CCAC), trooped to the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Abuja, wielding placards and chanting anti-corruption slogans. Led by their Convener, Comrade Kabir Matazu, the group said it was “deeply disappointed” that despite President Bola Tinubu’s decision to sack Kyari and dissolve the NNPCL…

A young man has reportedly escaped a suspected abduction and possible organ harvesting attempt by armed men impersonating police officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. According to a family member via X (formerly Twitter), the victim was commuting in a Bolt vehicle within the city when his ride was intercepted by men in plain clothes. The assailants, who arrived in a Toyota Sienna, allegedly identified themselves as police officers before forcibly removing the victim from the vehicle. The attackers reportedly struck him with the butt of a rifle, tied his hands, and bundled him into their vehicle. In a dramatic…

A retired Permanent Secretary in the Ekiti State Civil Service, Mr. Babatunde Alokan, has been arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti for allegedly absconding with an official vehicle belonging to the Ekiti State Government. The arraignment, which took place on Tuesday, follows allegations that Alokan, who officially retired from service in 2024, failed to return a government-owned vehicle assigned to him prior to his exit from public service. The Prosecutor, Mr. Oriyomi Akinwale, told the court that Alokan was arrested and detained after he failed to produce the vehicle despite several requests. He was subsequently brought before the…

Governor Umar Mohammed Bago of Niger State has issued a controversial directive ordering the arrest and forced shaving of anyone spotted wearing dreadlocks across the state, citing concerns over rising insecurity and gang-related violence. The directive, which took immediate effect on Monday, April 22, comes as part of a broader crackdown on crime in the state capital, Minna, and its environs. It follows the recent imposition of a 12-hour daily curfew on commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Kekenapep), restricting their movement from 6pm to 6am. Governor Bago, while addressing security operatives and residents, linked the rising tide of violence and…

A resident of Lagos State, Nnanna Daniel, has been sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment for attempting to sexually assault a 13-year-old girl. Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court handed down the sentence on April 22, following Daniel’s guilty plea to an amended charge of attempted sexual assault by penetration. Daniel, who was initially arraigned on July 27, 2021, on a charge of defilement, had pleaded not guilty. However, during a court proceeding held on April 15, 2025, the state prosecutor, I.D. Solarin, informed the court of a plea and sentence agreement entered into by…

The Senate has issued a stern rebuke to Pastor Tunde Bakare following his criticisms of the National Assembly’s role in the ratification of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Bakare, the serving overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church, on Sunday lambasted both the executive and legislative arms of government, accusing them of attempting to turn Nigeria into a “mafia state.” He described the National Assembly’s actions as part of an “institutional immorality Olympics.” In response, the Senate, through a statement by Yemi Adaramodu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and…

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged extortion of N5.2 million by some personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). This follows a viral social media post alleging that a group of young men travelling from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, to Akure in Ondo State were extorted by the security operatives. The directive was conveyed in a statement on Tuesday by the minister’s media aide, Babatunde Alao. Tunji-Ojo expressed strong disapproval over the incident, assuring Nigerians that any officer found culpable will be brought to book. “We are building a paramilitary…

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has arrested over 300 individuals for engaging in indiscriminate waste disposal across the state, as part of its intensified efforts to maintain environmental cleanliness and uphold sanitation laws. The disclosure was made in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Folashade Kadiri, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday. According to the statement, the arrests were the outcome of a collaborative operation between LAWMA and the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), utilising both day and night surveillance to track and apprehend offenders dumping waste illegally. LAWMA Managing…

The Gateway Front Foundation (GFF), in partnership with Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Tuesday unveiled a five-year food and humanitarian intervention programme in Ijebu North East Local Government Area. Tagged the 2025–2030 Food Security & Humanitarian Funding Initiative, the project is designed to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by providing sustained palliative support to vulnerable groups across the Ogun East Senatorial District. The initiative also marked the formal launch of the GFF Loyalty ATM Card, a digitised support platform aimed at delivering emergency assistance for food, medication, and essential needs to mothers, widows, children, and low-income households.…