Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Suspected bandits who abducted six Islamic clerics in Bakura Local Government Area of Zamfara State have demanded N30 million ransom for their release, according to family members and community sources. The clerics were reportedly kidnapped last Saturday after their vehicle was ambushed at Gidan Bature village in Damri Ward, Bakura LGA, while they were travelling to Talata Mafara for a meeting at the residence of former Zamfara State Governor and Senator, Abdulaziz Yari. The development has heightened concerns among the victims’ families and members of the Islamic community, particularly because most of the abducted clerics are elderly. A resident of…

Zainab Abioye The Students’ Union Government of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, has commended the Rector of the institution, Arc. Dr. ‘Koye Jolaoso, for what it described as exemplary leadership and sustained support for initiatives aimed at promoting students’ welfare, unity and responsible leadership. The commendation was contained in an appreciation letter signed by the 41st SUG President, Comrade Temitope Afolabi, popularly known as Big Afo. The union expressed appreciation to Jolaoso for his cooperation, guidance and encouragement throughout its administration, saying his support contributed significantly to achievements recorded in the areas of students’ welfare and the overall well-being…

Daud Olatunji Hundreds of residents, community leaders and Peoples Democratic Party supporters in Obantoko communities, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, have pledged their support for the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo. The declaration was made on Friday when Sowunmi-Kolapo, the PDP deputy governorship candidate, met with community stakeholders and party supporters drawn from American Junction, Asalu, Akete, Akinyele, Akepe Oluwa, Kangudu and other communities in the Obantoko area. The gathering, which began as a stakeholders’ meeting, turned into a campaign mobilisation as residents described Kolapo as “one of us” because of…

Ogun State chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and Convener of The Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has rejected former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal to restore petrol subsidy, describing the plan as an attempt to take Nigeria “back to Egypt.” Showunmi, who spoke in Abeokuta on Saturday during a sensitisation and mobilisation programme in support of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, argued that Nigeria had experimented with fuel subsidy for decades without achieving the intended economic benefits. His comments came amid the renewed political debate over petrol subsidy ahead of the 2027 presidential election, after Atiku, the presidential candidate…

…“We Drank Our Urine To Survive” — Survivor Recounts Horror In NSCDC Cell …“They Sprayed Us Something In The Cell” — Detainee Alleges As 37 Die In Custody …Niger Govt Imposes Dusk-To-Dawn Curfew As Anger Erupts …Tinubu Orders Full Probe, Accountability Over Deaths Daud Olatunji Former military president, retired General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has denied any connection with the gold-mining operation in Niger State where 37 suspected illegal miners were arrested before they died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Babangida’s denial followed a claim by a survivor of the incident, Malam Babawo Tudun…

…I was paralysed from my neck to my legs, says veteran Waka singer Toyyibat Qasim Veteran Nigerian Waka musician, Queen Salawa Abeni, has opened up about one of the darkest periods of her life, revealing that the death of her first son left her paralysed for five years. Abeni made the disclosure during an interview with YouTube channel, Oyinmomo, where she reflected on her life, music career and the personal challenges she encountered over the years. The veteran singer said the devastating loss affected her so severely that she became paralysed from her neck downwards and could no longer perform…

Grace Adeleke The Federal Government has commenced a six-week review of Nigeria’s new tax laws, with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oloyede, mandating a technical subcommittee to identify implementation challenges, unintended consequences and areas requiring clarification. The exercise is expected to feed into the Finance Bill 2027, as the government seeks to make the country’s emerging tax regime clearer, simpler, more predictable and competitive without reversing the fundamental architecture of the reforms. The development was announced on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Technical Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. Speaking…

Zainab Abioye Britain’s King Charles III has warned global technology leaders of the “existential dangers” artificial intelligence could pose to humanity if powerful AI systems fall into the wrong hands. The monarch issued the warning on Thursday at a high-level AI summit held at Dumfries House in Scotland, where senior representatives of Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, the British government and civil society gathered to discuss the future development and deployment of artificial intelligence. Charles said the rapid advancement of AI required urgent consideration of how the technology could be controlled and deployed safely. “There seems urgency in adequately considering…

Victoria Ikenne The promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited, Leno Adesanya, has acknowledged transferring $500,000 to Jennifer Douglas, the former wife of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, during negotiations surrounding the controversial Mambilla Hydropower Project in 2003. Adesanya told a three-member International Chamber of Commerce arbitration tribunal that the payment, made on January 30, 2003, was a legitimate foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku. However, the tribunal rejected the explanation, saying Adesanya failed to produce sufficient documentary evidence to establish that the transaction was a foreign-exchange deal for the former vice-president. The findings are contained in the final award…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the arrest and prosecution of any government official found culpable in the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State. The President also directed a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths, stressing that suspected involvement in illegal mining could not deprive the victims of their right to life and humane treatment while in government custody. Tinubu gave the directive in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, describing the deaths…