Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Cross River State Police Command has arrested a 45-year-old pastor, Roman Samson, for allegedly flogging a 13-year-old girl, Nancy Peter, to death after she was accused of stealing N30,000. The incident, which occurred in Obanleku community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, has triggered outrage among residents and renewed concerns over the abuse of children under the guise of discipline. The victim’s mother, Agnes Peter, said she took her daughter to the pastor’s residence on June 1 for counselling after discovering that N30,000 kept in their home had gone missing. According to Agnes, the teenager admitted…

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the immediate demolition of all structurally distressed buildings around the site of the collapsed three-storey building at Alakija on the Badagry Expressway, while directing that the owner of the collapsed structure be prosecuted. The governor issued the directive on Friday during an inspection of the scene, where he was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso. The building collapsed on Thursday, trapping several occupants beneath the rubble. Omotoso disclosed that emergency responders rescued 27 persons alive, while nine others were confirmed dead after an overnight search-and-rescue operation. He said…

The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, on Friday alleged that forces within the Federal Government were working to prevent him from contesting the 2027 presidential election. Obi made the allegation while speaking at a leadership programme organised by the NextGen Mentorship and Leadership Initiative at Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State. According to him, unnamed government actors were making efforts to ensure he did not appear on the ballot for the next presidential poll. “If you know what they are doing to ensure that I’m not on the ballot in 2027, you will be surprised. The Nigerian…

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, on Friday urged the Lagos State High Court to reject statements the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission intends to rely on in his ongoing trial over an alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud, claiming they were obtained through torture, prolonged detention and oppressive conditions. Emefiele, through his lead counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), argued before Justice Rahman Oshodi that the statements were not voluntarily made, insisting they were extracted after the former apex bank governor was held incommunicado for more than 157 days while in EFCC custody. The former CBN governor is…

… Dismisses Oladele’s Remarks As Propaganda Daud Olatunji The camp of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, has dismissed claims by an All Progressives Congress chieftain, Kayode Oladele, that the PDP has lost its political relevance in the state. In a statement issued on Friday by Afolabi Orekoya, the Adebutu camp described Oladele’s remarks as “misleading” and “a reflection of the APC’s desperation” ahead of the 2027 governorship election. The statement maintained that Oladele lacked the authority to determine the political preference of Ogun residents, insisting that the PDP remained united and well-positioned to…

… Brain, liver, lungs among organs at risk …Nigerians urged to shun alcohol, illicit substances Daud Olatunji The Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, has raised fresh concerns over the growing drug abuse epidemic in Nigeria, warning that the menace is fast evolving into a major public health crisis driven by poor parenting, the proliferation of new psychoactive substances and the increasing availability of methamphetamine. The Acting Provost of the hospital, Dr. Sunday Amosu, gave the warning on Friday, during a road walk and awareness campaign organised to commemorate the 2026 World Drug Day at Pamseke Market, Abeokuta, Ogun State. Amosu said…

Residents of Ajah, Mafoluku and other flood-prone communities in Lagos were left stranded on Thursday after a torrential downpour submerged roads, flooded homes and disrupted movement across several parts of the state. The affected residents blamed the persistent flooding on poor drainage infrastructure and blocked canals, urging the Lagos State Government to take urgent steps to prevent a recurrence. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday, a resident of Muri Okunola Road in Ajah, identified simply as Rukayat, said floodwaters covered about 200 metres of the road, forcing commuters to wade through waist-deep water. “The water level was…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group, Alkali Yarima, also known as La’ari, to death by hanging for his involvement in the 2015 terrorist attack on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment on Friday after finding Yarima guilty on a seven-count terrorism charge filed by the Federal Government. The court imposed the death sentence on the count relating to his participation in the 2015 Maiduguri attack, which was prosecuted under the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013. In addition to the death penalty, the judge sentenced the…

Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 21-year-old man, identified as Samson Onilewaji, after he was allegedly found in possession of a suspected human hand, firearms, axes and items believed to have been stolen from robbery victims. The command said the suspect was apprehended during a routine stop-and-search operation along the Lekki-Epe Expressway after officers intercepted an unregistered commercial shuttle bus conveying six occupants. In a statement issued on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said a search of the vehicle and its occupants led to the recovery of a suspected human right hand,…

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has nullified its earlier judgment directing the Independent National Electoral Commission to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress as a political party, ordering that the case be heard afresh with all interested parties joined. The ruling effectively suspends the legal basis upon which the NDC was recognised, pending the determination of the substantive suit. Delivering the ruling on Friday, Justice Isah Dashen held that the December 10, 2025 judgment was fundamentally defective because it was delivered without hearing all parties whose interests were directly affected. The judge ruled that the Peace Movement…