Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, on Sunday endorsed the governorship ambition of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, describing him as a “trustworthy and reliable” leader capable of governing Ogun State. The monarch gave the endorsement at the Ake Palace, Abeokuta, while receiving Adebutu and other leaders of the PDP during a visit to the Egba Traditional Council to seek royal blessings ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Adebutu was accompanied by his running mate, Dr. Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo; the party’s Ogun Central Senatorial candidate, Iyabo Obasanjo; Ogun PDP Chairman, Abayomi Tella; and other…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the National Assembly to immediately withdraw the Nigeria Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2026, warning that it could amount to a backdoor attempt to regulate social media and restrict online freedom of expression. The rights advocacy organisation also threatened to challenge the proposed legislation in court if it is passed in its current form. In a letter dated July 18, 2026, addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, SERAP argued that the bill grants excessive powers to regulators and poses serious risks to Nigerians’ constitutional…

A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has revealed that prison overcrowding remains one of Africa’s most pressing criminal justice challenges, with about 93 per cent of countries on the continent operating correctional facilities beyond their designed capacity. The findings, contained in the Prison Matters 2026 report, show that Africa has one of the world’s worst prison congestion rates, raising concerns over deteriorating living conditions, poor healthcare, violence and the spread of infectious diseases among inmates. The report, which analysed prison capacity data from 183 countries between 2015 and 2024, found that nearly two-thirds of…

Daud Olatunji An undisclosed number of students were killed after suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched a midnight attack on a students’ hostel in Monguno, Borno State, in a failed attempt to abduct occupants of the facility. The Nigerian military said, however, that troops of Operation HADIN KAI, supported by personnel of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force, repelled the attackers and successfully rescued all 46 students in the hostel. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Monguno, which is currently being used by the Borno State Government…

… Agency Nabs Chadian Woman, Couple, Truck Drivers In Nationwide Anti-Drug Operations Daud Olatunji The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking across the country, arresting an 80-year-old alleged drug dealer, dismantling suspected drug warehouses and intercepting more than 1.63 million tramadol pills linked to a transnational trafficking syndicate operating across Togo, the Benin Republic and Nigeria. The agency said the operations, carried out in Rivers, Edo, Lagos, Kogi and at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, led to the arrest of several suspects, including a Chadian national, a couple allegedly operating an illicit drug…

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mrs. Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, has been elected the 33rd President of the Nigerian Bar Association after securing a decisive victory in the association’s national election conducted electronically. Badejo-Okusanya polled 12,317 votes, representing 47.18 per cent of the total votes cast, to defeat her closest challenger, Mr. Lateef Akangbe (SAN), who garnered 7,934 votes, while Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN) came third with 5,855 votes. The results were announced in the early hours of Sunday at the NBA National Secretariat in Abuja by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, Aham Ejelam (SAN), following the…

.. Says Trillions Saved Have Vanished Into ‘Fake Ministries, Fake Agencies’ .. Challenges FG To account For Trillions Realised From Subsidy Removal Daud Olatunji Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has defended the removal of fuel subsidy, insisting that the policy itself was not the problem but the Federal Government’s handling of the trillions of naira saved from its implementation. Obi said critics were not opposed to subsidy removal but to what he described as the failure of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to transparently invest the proceeds in critical sectors capable of improving the lives of Nigerians. Speaking…

Zainab Abioye A 25-year-old woman, Erdoo Ugede, has been arrested by the police for allegedly killing the two-month-old son of her husband’s alleged mistress in Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State. The incident, which has thrown the Ankyoov community in Ikyogbaji Council Ward into mourning, reportedly occurred after the suspect allegedly invited the child’s mother and the infant to live with her in her matrimonial home. Residents said the suspect, who is said to have no child of her own, was aware that the baby had been fathered by her husband with another woman but insisted that the…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of 52 terrace and maisonette housing units in the Lekki area of Lagos State to the Federal Government after ruling that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities. Justice Alexander Owoeye delivered the judgment while granting an application filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The anti-graft agency disclosed on Saturday that the properties, located at Mercyville Estate, Covenant Way, off New Road, Ilasan, Lekki, were recovered from Fielddreams Limited, Ifeanyi Nweke and Amex Savings and Loans Limited. The EFCC said…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured a final court order forfeiting ₦941,994,079.86 traced to suspected ghost workers uncovered in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System. The anti-graft agency disclosed on Saturday that Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the final forfeiture order, transferring the funds, believed to be proceeds of unlawful activities, to the Federal Government. According to the commission, the forfeiture followed an ex parte application filed before the court after investigations uncovered a widespread payroll fraud involving fictitious public servants across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies. A…