Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared four local government areas in Borno State unsafe for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, citing persistent security threats. The affected LGAs—Abadam, Guzamala, Kala-Balge, and Marte—will have their registration centres relocated from their headquarters to designated safe points within Maiduguri metropolis. Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji, announced the decision during a press briefing in Maiduguri on Friday, stressing that the measure was necessary to protect both staff and residents. “Due to security concerns and safety considerations, the four INEC LGA offices will conduct physical registration at alternative locations…

A spontaneous outpouring of affection greeted Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, as residents openly endorsed him for the 2027 governorship race. What began as a routine drive to an event quickly turned into a celebratory procession when locals recognised Isola’s vehicle and surrounded it with chants and songs of praise. The crowd’s chorus, rendered in Yoruba, rang through the streets: “Ẹ jáde, kẹ wá bá wa gbé Sarafa ga; àt’ọ̀nìlé pẹ̀lú àlejò, ẹ gbé ga; àt’ọmọde pẹ̀lú àgbà, ẹ gbé ga!” — calling on both indigenes and…

The Nigerian Bar Association, Abeokuta branch, has pledged free legal representation for the 93 persons arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on August 10 at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta. The branch chairman, Chief ’Kayode Aderemi, in a statement on Friday, said the association had mobilised a team of lawyers to defend the detainees and ensure their fundamental rights were protected throughout the legal process. He stressed that the NBA would monitor the arraignment and bail applications to ensure the EFCC and other authorities strictly adhere to due process. Aderemi said, “We are committed to upholding the…

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, has dissolved the Onikan Tactical Squad following allegations that its operatives extorted N3 million from a motorist. The command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a Friday statement that the commissioner had interrogated the officers and met with the victim, identified on X as @Tife_badass. The officers have been placed on an orderly room trial, with the outcome to be made public. Boluwatife alleged that the policemen falsely accused him of killing officers in Lekki before handcuffing him and his friend, bundling them into a patrol vehicle, and taking them to the Onikan…

The Ogun State Police Command has vowed to clamp down on vote buying, thuggery and other electoral malpractices as residents of the Remo Federal Constituency head to the polls on Saturday for a bye-election. The constituency, comprising Sagamu, Ikenne and Remo North Local Government Areas, will experience a total restriction of movement from midnight until 4:00 p.m., according to police authorities. Police spokesperson, CSP Omolola Odutola, in a statement on Friday, said the command had deployed a “robust security architecture” in collaboration with other agencies, including reinforcement from Zone 2 Command, Lagos, to ensure a peaceful and transparent exercise. She…

The House of Representatives has summoned Ibrahim Auyo, a lawmaker from Jigawa State, to provide evidence to back his claim that members pay as much as N3 million to present bills, motions, and petitions on the floor of the Green Chamber. Auyo, who represents Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency under the All Progressives Congress, stirred controversy after a video of him addressing his constituents in Hausa went viral. In the footage, the lawmaker told the gathering that legislators pay between N1 million and N3 million to get their proposals presented and that lobbying fellow lawmakers to pass them requires additional resources.…

Three men arrested in connection with a cybercrime raid at a hotel located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have been convicted by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. Justice Dehinde Dipeolu, on Friday, found Isaac Akinwale, Ibrahim Azeez Olatunji, and Habeeb Oladipupo Oshundairo guilty of internet fraud-related offences. They were among 93 suspects apprehended in a sting operation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the Ogun State capital. The trio faced separate charges bordering on false pretence, identity theft, and obtaining money through fraud, in violation of the Cybercrimes…

Former Sokoto State governor and serving senator, Aminu Tambuwal, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of attempting to smear his public service record through what he described as politically motivated harassment. Tambuwal, who was released on bail on Thursday after spending a night in EFCC custody, told supporters at a reception in Sokoto that he would not be blackmailed or intimidated by the anti-graft agency. He said he honoured the EFCC’s invitation voluntarily on August 6 and again on August 11, but was shocked when the commission demanded sureties instead of granting him bail on personal recognisance.…

The Ogun State Government has issued another quit notice to a property linked to former Governor Gbenga Daniel, this time in Ijebu-Ode, intensifying the protracted dispute over the alleged violation of urban planning laws. The latest notice, served by the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority and sighted by PLATFORM TIMES, directs the owner or occupier of the Ijebu-Ode property to vacate the premises within a stipulated period or risk demolition. According to the notice, the order follows earlier contravention and stop-work directives issued to the property owner. The agency warned that valuables should be removed within the deadline,…

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a Port Harcourt-based cleric, Pastor Ifediorah Joseph, and four members of his church after a viral video showed a group of naked children being whipped in what was described as a “spiritual cleansing” ceremony. Pastor Joseph, 41, who heads Our Lord Victory Covenant Mission Church, Eneka, allegedly organised a three-day programme during which children aged between five and nine were beaten with palm fronds and bathed in pigeon’s blood. The disturbing video, which spread rapidly on social media, shows the cleric striking the minors one after another while other church members supervised. After…