Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has dismantled two major cocaine cartels responsible for six United Kingdom–bound drug consignments, arresting their ring leader, Alhaji Hammed Taofeek Ode, and five other suspects in a series of sting operations across Lagos. The operations, which spanned three weeks, uncovered sophisticated concealment methods including stainless cups, body cream containers, and hair gel jars. The breakthrough followed the interception of 174 parcels of cocaine weighing 13.4kg at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, on September 16, 2025. The drugs were hidden in cocoa butter body cream jars. NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, have stepped up reconciliatory moves as both camps met again in Port Harcourt on Saturday night in a bid to consolidate peace in the troubled state. The meeting, which lasted into the early hours of Sunday, was hosted at the residence of elder statesman, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, and had in attendance top political leaders loyal to Wike alongside allies of Governor Fubara. It came days after the governor directed commissioners affected by the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Rivers political crisis to…

In what security sources have described as one of the most decisive blows against insurgency in recent months, a notorious terrorist leader, Kachalla Maidawa, and 35 of his fighters have been neutralised in a series of coordinated joint operations across the country. The operations, which ran between September 29 and October 4, were executed by a coalition of forces comprising the Nigerian Army, Air Force, Navy, Department of State Services (DSS), Police, and Hybrid Forces. Confirming the breakthrough, a senior military officer disclosed that Maidawa, who had for years unleashed terror on communities in Kogi East and parts of Kwara…

A Nigerian-born, Glasgow-based music composer and performer, Adekanle Taiwo Emmanuel, popularly known as Emars, is steadily carving a niche in the global music scene with his experimental and genre-defying sound. Emars, who began his musical journey as a child chorister, has grown into a prodigious songwriter and improviser, blending traditional African rhythms with ambient electronics, jazz infusions, and contemporary soundscapes. His style, critics say, is difficult to box into any conventional category. “What makes Emars fascinating is that you cannot place a finger on his exact genre. He fuses multiple elements into a sound that evolves before your ears. “His…

African churches have been challenged to urgently confront what has been described as an epidemic of “toxic doctrines and twisted morals” undermining the continent’s ethical foundation and spiritual health. This call was made by Pastor and Babcock University faculty, Prof. Efe Ehioghae, while delivering the institution’s 55th inaugural lecture titled “Toxic Beliefs, Twisted Morals: The Urgency of Theological Detox in a Morally Disoriented Age.” Prof. Ehioghae warned that unless African Christianity courageously resists cultural conformity and false teachings, society risks sinking deeper into moral chaos. He argued that faith communities and the larger society need what he termed a “divine…

The Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) will on Thursday, October 9, 2025, host its annual colloquium where distinguished Nigerians and institutions will be honoured for their contributions to leadership, reputation management and nation building. The event, themed “Leadership and Reputation: The Role of Public Relations in Building Trust in Nigeria,” is scheduled to take place at the Theatre Hall, AA Entertainment and Tourism Ltd (formerly Park Inn by Radisson), Kuto, Abeokuta, at 9:30 am. Among the awardees are the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun; Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, wife of former Ogun State Governor,…

The death toll from Lassa fever in Nigeria has climbed to 168 in 2025, according to the latest epidemiological report by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). The report, covering epidemiological Week 38, revealed a slight rise in fatalities from 166 to 168, pushing the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) to 18.5 per cent — higher than the 16.9 per cent recorded within the same period in 2024. So far, the country has recorded 7,792 suspected cases and 906 confirmed infections across 21 states and 106 local government areas. The NCDC disclosed that Ondo, Bauchi, Edo, Taraba, and…

Residents of several communities in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State have raised the alarm over worsening bandit attacks that have left at least ten people dead, scores abducted, and more than 500 livestock rustled in recent weeks. The community leaders, who addressed a press conference on Saturday, described the situation as unbearable, saying the absence of government intervention was forcing citizens into despair and fear of resorting to self-defence. Speaking on behalf of the communities, Alhaji Adamu Haruna from Kebbe town lamented that residents could no longer access their farms, markets, or even move freely without the threat…

Tragedy struck the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday as gunmen abducted and murdered a renowned veterinary doctor, Dr. Ifeanyi Ogbu, in his Kubwa residence, leaving his three children in the custody of their abductors. Ogbu, who was the immediate past chairman of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA), FCT chapter, was reportedly seized alongside his children in the early hours of the day. His corpse was later discovered dumped by the roadside, sparking outrage and grief within the veterinary community and beyond. A close associate, Andrew Gabriel Ikechukwu, confirmed the killing in a Facebook post, lamenting that while the doctor’s…

No fewer than 5,000 residents of Kirawa, a border town in Borno State, have fled into neighbouring Cameroon following a deadly attack by Boko Haram insurgents that left homes, vehicles, and a military barracks in ruins. The assault, which occurred on Thursday, saw the insurgents storm the community in large numbers, torching residential buildings, heavy-duty equipment, and the district head’s house. Eyewitnesses said the fighters overran the military outpost in the town and set it ablaze while chanting victory songs. Boko Haram later released a video claiming responsibility for the invasion. The footage showed fighters boasting of their assault and…