Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Nigeria’s fight against terrorism recorded a significant victory with the capture of two top leaders of the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansaru terrorist group, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, announced on Saturday. Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Ribadu described the operation as “the most decisive blow” yet against the extremist group, stressing that the arrests have dismantled Ansaru’s central command structure. The intelligence-led operation, conducted between May and July, targeted Ansaru enclaves around Kainji National Park, which stretches across Niger and Kwara states and connects to networks in the Benin Republic. The NSA identified the suspects as Mahmud Muhammad Usman, also known…

The Kano State Police Command on Saturday said it had arrested no fewer than 288 suspected political thugs for disrupting the rerun and by-elections across the state. The command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement, noting that the suspects were apprehended in different parts of Kano while attempting to unleash violence on voters and election officials. According to him, dangerous weapons, including a pump-action rifle, locally-made guns, knives, and cutlasses, were recovered from the suspects. Kiyawa explained that the arrests were part of the police strategy to maintain law and order during the election, stressing that…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the just-concluded bye-election in Shanono/Bagwai constituency and the rerun in Ghari constituency of Kano State, alleging widespread violence and electoral malpractice. In a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, the party claimed that armed thugs unleashed mayhem across several polling units, forcing voters to flee and overwhelming security operatives deployed for the exercise. The APC maintained that the credibility of the election was compromised, adding that proceeding with the results under such conditions would set a dangerous precedent for…

More than 2,000 secondary school students have enrolled in the 2025 holiday coaching programme organised by the Tola Adebajo Foundation (TAF), as community stakeholders renewed calls for stronger partnerships to boost Nigeria’s education sector. The initiative, which kicked off this week at St. James’ Anglican Primary School, Atikori, Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State, has recorded its highest turnout since inception, representing a 35 per cent increase compared to last year. Coordinator of the project, Hon. Femi Oluyemi, said the rising participation underscored the growing impact of the programme, which was introduced three years ago to provide academic support and keep students…

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the arrest of its chairman, Hon. Abayomi Tella, in the early hours of Saturday, describing it as a ploy to intimidate and disenfranchise its members ahead of the Remo federal constituency by-election. Director of Media and Communications of the party, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, in a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES, said Tella  was arrested at Kay hoy Hotel, Iperu Remo, around 3:30am by security operatives who allegedly broke into his hotel room in what he termed a “commando-style operation.” According to him, the PDP chairman was in…

Panic gripped parts of Isara and Ode-Remo in Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State on Saturday morning as sporadic gunshots rang out just minutes before the commencement of the by-election in Remo Federal Constituency. The election, which is taking place across Sagamu, Ikenne, and Remo North Local Government Areas, followed the death of the constituency’s former House of Representatives member, Adewunmi Onanuga. Despite the presence of heavily armed security operatives, eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that unidentified gunmen stormed some areas in the two communities and fired shots into the air, sending early voters and residents into confusion. Though no…

A torrential downpour that struck Potiskum, Yobe State, in the early hours of Friday has submerged several communities, displacing hundreds of residents and destroying properties. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) listed the affected areas as Old Prison, Filin Mashe, Unguwar Makafi, Unguwar Jaje Bakin Kwari, Afghanistan, Tsangaya, Karofi, Bayan Garejin Dan Juma, Jigawa Bayan, Makarahuta, and Tandari. Executive Secretary of SEMA, Dr. Mohammed Goje, confirmed that emergency alerts were received shortly after the rain began, prompting the immediate deployment of field teams for rapid assessment and intervention. “No loss of life has been recorded so far, but our detailed…

The Lagos State Police Command has busted a suspected cross-border child trafficking syndicate allegedly specialising in luring and transporting young Nigerian women to Ghana for prostitution. Four suspected members of the network are in custody while 11 victims, aged between 15 and 29, have been rescued and placed in protective care. Police spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement on Friday that the operation began on August 13 when operatives of the Ilemba Hausa Division intercepted a 15-year-old girl in the company of a commercial motorcyclist, Mustapha Abubakar, identified as one of the recruiters. “The teenager was minutes away…

The  rraging fire on Friday evening gutted the head office of Fresh FM Nigeria in the Challenge area of Ibadan, Oyo State, destroying key facilities of two of the city’s most popular radio stations. The inferno, which broke out during live broadcast operations, swept through the studios of Fresh 105.9 FM and Blast 98.3 FM, as well as the newsroom, transmitter/server room, and several adjoining offices. Samson Akindele, Group Head of Corporate Affairs for Fresh FM Nigeria and Yinka Ayefele Limited, confirmed the incident in a statement, describing it as “devastating” and a major blow to the media outfit. “We…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over a bank draft of ₦100 million recovered from defaulting mining companies in Akwa Ibom State to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development. The presentation, held at the EFCC’s Uyo Zonal Command on Friday, was made by the Zonal Director, Assistant Commander of the EFCC (ACE I) Oshodi Johnson, on behalf of the Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede. According to the EFCC, the funds were recovered from mining firms that had failed to remit statutory royalties to the Federal Government. While handing over the draft to Mr. Emmanuel Effiong Bassey, the…