Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji A suspected member of a child-stealing and trafficking syndicate in Oyo State, Adejoke Popoola, has confessed to selling two sets of children she gave birth to and allegedly stealing 19 other children for onward sale. Popoola, who was paraded alongside other suspects by the Oyo State Police Command in Ibadan on Monday, said she had been involved in child trafficking since October 2024. The suspect claimed she sold a newborn boy and a set of twins, adding that the twins were sold to a clinic in Ogeere for N300,000. She said she sometimes received between N80,000 and N120,000…

Daud Olatunji The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Solomon Iorpev, has accused the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, of repeatedly ignoring the state government’s protocol during his visits to the state. Iorpev made the allegation on Tuesday while reacting to an incident in Makurdi, where youths reportedly blocked Obi’s convoy during his visit to the state. The commissioner said Obi, being a former governor and a high-profile political figure, ought to have formally notified the state government before embarking on the visit. According to him, such notification would have enabled the state authorities to make adequate…

Zainab Abioye Suspected bandits have abducted the younger brother of a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji Shehu Pambegua, after killing three personnel of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service in separate attacks in Kubau Local Government Area of the state. The incidents occurred on Monday night, throwing communities around Pambegua and the Zaria-Pambegua axis into panic. The KADVS Public Relations Officer, Yunusa Ibrahim, confirmed the incidents in a statement on Tuesday. Ibrahim identified the abducted victim as Sanusi, the younger brother of the lawmaker representing Kubau Constituency in the state assembly. He said the suspected bandits stormed…

Daud Olatunji The Federal Government says more than one million children who were previously out of school have returned to classrooms within the last 20 months. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday while receiving the newly appointed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Country Representative to Nigeria, Prof Isaiah Da Rosa, on a courtesy visit. A statement by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, quoted Alausa as saying the development was part of the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms to expand access to education and improve learning outcomes. The…

…Tribunal proposes seven judicial divisions nationwide to speed up corruption cases … CCT laments inadequate case inflow, struggles to access N2bn budge Daud Olatunji The Code of Conduct Tribunal has begun moves to transform itself into a full-fledged National Anti-Corruption Court with seven judicial divisions and 37 judges dedicated to corruption-related cases. The proposed court, if approved by the National Assembly, is expected to operate a summary trial system under which corruption cases would be concluded within six weeks of arraignment. The Acting Director of Litigation at the CCT, Yahaya Laraski, disclosed this on Monday while outlining the achievements and…

Daud Olatunji Fresh confusion has erupted over the legal challenge to the August 15 Osun State governorship election after the All Progressives Congress denied authorising a petition purportedly filed against the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke. The controversy followed the display of two election petitions at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Secretariat in Osogbo on Monday. The petitions, dated September 5, 2026, listed the APC governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and another petitioner, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, as challengers to the election outcome. However, the APC legal team immediately disowned the petition attributed to the party and Oyebamiji, insisting that…

Ayomide Awe The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has intensified its nationwide offensive against illegal mining, warning operators that anyone found violating the country’s mining regulations will face prosecution. The NSCDC Mining Marshals, the specialised enforcement arm of the Corps established to tackle illegal mining, said their operations had been stepped up across the country, with increased activities in the South-West. The Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps, John Onoja Attah, issued the warning as the enforcement teams intensified efforts to ensure that mining operators complied with extant laws and regulatory requirements. Attah said operators could…

Some supporters of the All Progressives Congress in Kano State have threatened to withdraw their support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign after receiving N3,000 each for attending a party rally in the state. The supporters, who expressed their displeasure in a video monitored by PLATFORM TIMES, said the amount was inadequate to cover their transportation and other expenses incurred while attending the campaign event. About seven men wearing yellow T-shirts branded with the APC logo were seen in the video, with one of them, identified as Salisu Shuaibu, speaking on behalf of the group. Shuaibu said the supporters…

DG Warns Against Counterfeit Foods, Urges Nigerians To Report Suspected Offenders …Agency Flags Palm Oil Adulteration, Harmful Chemicals In Some Staple Foods Daud Olatunji The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has disclosed that it received 225 complaints over suspected counterfeit products in August, amid growing concerns over adulterated foods and other unsafe products in circulation across the country. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists on the agency’s efforts to tackle counterfeit, adulterated and unsafe products. Adeyeye said the August figure reflected a steady stream of complaints from members…

…Total merchandise trade rises to N41.44tn as exports widen gap over imports Mujeeb Akindoyin Nigeria recorded a N12.59tn merchandise trade surplus in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest foreign trade statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The figure means the value of Nigeria’s exports exceeded imports by N12.59tn during the three-month period, signalling a substantial positive balance in the country’s merchandise trade. The NBS, in its foreign trade statistics report released on Monday, said the country’s total merchandise trade stood at N41.44tn in Q2 2026. The figure represents a 5.61 per cent increase compared with…