Author: Platform Times Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s security agencies to “immediately secure the release” of the remaining 115 students abducted from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State. The directive followed the return of 100 of the kidnapped victims on Sunday—two weeks after gunmen stormed the school at about 2 a.m. and whisked away 315 persons, including 303 students and 12 teachers. In a statement on Monday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu commended security operatives for the “tireless and coordinated efforts” that led to…

The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a suspected kidnapping kingpin believed to be a central figure in the state’s expanding abduction and ransom network, just hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) detained a medical doctor accused of treating bandits operating across the Kwara–Niger forest axis. The coordinated security operations, described by sources as the most significant disruption of kidnapping rings in months, are already exposing the financial, medical and arms-support infrastructure sustaining criminal gangs in the state. Police operatives arrested the suspect, identified as Aliu Abubakar, on Friday, December 3, at the Oro-Ago Motor…

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja, has sentenced a Superintendent of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Hassan Abdullahi, to seven years imprisonment for certificate forgery and corruptly enriching himself through fraudulent career advancement. Justice E. Okpe, who delivered the judgment, found Abdullahi guilty on a two-count charge filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC. According to evidence led by ICPC prosecutor, Hamza Sani, the NSCDC officer had in December 2010 submitted a forged Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) purportedly issued by Adamu Augie College of Education, Argungu, Kebbi…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has again admitted that he is unsure of his exact age, saying his only reliable clue comes from the ages of his surviving primary and secondary school classmates—none of whom is younger than 90. Obasanjo made the revelation on Sunday during the Toyin Falola Interview Series themed “A Conversation with His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,” which also featured Bishop Matthew Kukah and former presidential candidate, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu. The former president said although he has preserved extensive personal records and historical documents in his presidential library, his date of birth remains uncertain because births were not…

Benin Republic has declared Lieutenant Colonel Pascal Tigri and two other soldiers wanted following Sunday’s failed coup attempt aimed at toppling President Patrice Talon. The development was confirmed on Monday by Nigeria’s presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed in a post on that Benin’s constitutional authorities had issued the official notice after regaining control of the situation. Tigri, a senior military officer, had led a group of mutinous soldiers in an attempt to seize power in Cotonou, briefly detaining top security officials, including the country’s Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of the National Guard. According to security analyst…

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday declined an application by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, seeking to be transferred from the Sokoto Correctional Centre to a facility closer to the Federal Capital Territory. Kanu, who is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted on seven terrorism-related charges on November 20, had asked the court to order his immediate relocation to Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja or Keffi in Nasarawa State. The application, filed through the Legal Aid Council, argued that the IPOB leader’s incarceration in Sokoto—over 700…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held a marathon closed-door meeting with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, sparking fresh speculations over the administration’s response to mounting national security concerns and ongoing political realignments. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, was held in the President’s office, with none of the governors willing to brief State House correspondents afterward. The governors in attendance were Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Nasir Idris (Kebbi). Although the Presidency kept mum on the…

In an extraordinary demonstration of religious harmony, Muslims and Christians in the Itesi community of Abeokuta, Ogun State, have jointly launched a N150 million fundraising campaign to remodel and expand the 80-year-old Itesi Central Mosque. The initiative, unveiled during a Turbaning Ceremony and Fundraising Appeal held on Saturday at St. Peter Claver’s Convent School, drew faith leaders, government officials, traditional representatives and community development advocates — all united behind a project hailed as a model of peaceful coexistence. Representing the Minister in Charge of Trinity Methodist Church, Itesi, Reverend Adejuwon Adeolu Joseph praised the collaboration as a remarkable deviation from…

With growing anxiety among business owners and individuals over the implementation of the new Tax Act scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, organisers of the Health and Business Conference (HBC 1.0) say the forum will provide clear, practical guidance on the sweeping fiscal changes. The conference, convened by policy advocate and entrepreneurship coach, Dr. Adeyinka Adegbite, popularly known as Omo-Baba-Tisa, is billed for Sunday, December 14, 2025, at the Iwe-Iroyin Hall, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, starting at 12 noon. Adegbite said the event became necessary following reports that many business owners and individuals are already considering mass withdrawal of funds…

It is a common fact that the Tinubu led administration in Nigeria has embarked on tax reforms for tax administration efficiency. As a result, new laws including Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTA), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) Act and Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (JRBN) Act have been enacted and would be operationally effective by January 1,2026. As there are many provisions in it, this review only seeks to enlighten the public on common offences in the tax laws which may affect some taxpayers or members of public who may be involved in tax matters. And since…