Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to a remarkable 21-year career with the Argentina national team. The 39-year-old forward made the announcement after earning a record 207 caps for Argentina, having represented the country since his senior international debut in 2005. Messi leaves the national team as a World Cup winner and two-time Copa América champion. He lifted the World Cup trophy with Argentina in Qatar in 2022 after finishing runner-up in 2014. He was also part of the Argentina side that finished as runners-up at the 2026 World Cup final against Spain…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has dismissed more than 40 of its personnel over alleged corruption and financial malpractice in the last three years, the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed. Olukoyede also revealed that at least five of the affected officers are currently facing prosecution, while case files involving others are being prepared for possible prosecution. The EFCC chairman made the disclosure on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja while briefing journalists on the achievements of the anti-graft agency under his leadership. According to him, the disciplinary measures were necessary to ensure that officers entrusted with fighting…

Daud Olatunji Troops of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with the police, Department of State Services and local security groups, have rescued 21 kidnapped victims from forests in Kogi State. The victims, comprising 13 females and eight males, were rescued on Monday during a coordinated search operation in the Egume and Ochaja forest axis of the state. The operation followed the abduction of road users along the Alloma-Ejule-Itobe road corridor, according to the Army. The Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement on Monday. Abdullahi said the operation was launched after…

Daud Olatunji Security personnel at the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State, have arrested a woman, Mrs Iyabo Sowunmi, for allegedly attempting to smuggle substances suspected to be a psychoactive drug into the facility. Sowunmi was reportedly arrested at about 1:33pm on Friday, August 28, 2026, during a routine screening at the entrance of the custodial centre. The suspect had reportedly visited an inmate, Dare Sowunmi, who is classified as an inmate on death row, when correctional officers discovered a sachet of Milo beverage allegedly containing substances suspected to be “colos.” The Nigerian Correctional Service, Ogun State Command,…

Mujeeb Akindoyin No fewer than eight farmers were killed and five others injured when suspected bandits attacked Ghandi community in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Sunday. The attackers reportedly stormed the community at about 3pm and opened fire on farmers, sending residents fleeing for safety. The incident was confirmed by the spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, who said the command was aware of the attack. Rufai, who spoke with journalists by telephone, said eight farmers were killed while five others sustained gunshot injuries. He added that the command was still gathering details…

Suliat Lawal Petrol consumers across Nigeria are facing renewed pressure as filling stations continue to increase pump prices, with the cost of Premium Motor Spirit rising as high as N1,347 per litre in Abuja. The latest increases have triggered concerns among motorists and other consumers over the growing volatility in the downstream petroleum market, with marketers adjusting their prices several times within a single week. Checks in Abuja on Sunday showed that several major filling stations had increased their pump prices by between N60 and N75 per litre, following a fresh upward adjustment in the gantry price of petrol by…

Ayomide Awe Nigeria recorded $3.8bn in diaspora remittance inflows through international money transfer operators in the first seven months of 2026, representing a 50.2 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2025. The Central Bank of Nigeria disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying remittance inflows through formal channels rose significantly as reforms in the foreign exchange and remittance sectors began to yield results. The apex bank said $947m was received through International Money Transfer Operators in July alone, describing the figure as the highest monthly inflow recorded through formal channels. The July performance puts Nigeria closer to…

Below is a stronger, independently structured version for PLATFORM TIMES, Zainab Abioye A South-East political pressure group, Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria, has begun moves to persuade the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid. The group said it would approach the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and prominent Igbo statesmen, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and former Chief of General Staff, Ebitu Ukiwe, to intervene in the matter. The proposal followed a meeting of the South-East chapter of RHGN on Saturday, where members…

…President Says Immigration Enforcement Cannot Justify Violence Against Africans …Nigeria Urges AU to Guarantee Safety, Dignity of Africans Across Continent Daud Olatunji President Bola Tinubu has intensified Nigeria’s diplomatic campaign against recurring xenophobic and Afrophobic attacks in South Africa, urging the African Union to take decisive action to protect Nigerians and other African nationals from violence, harassment and discrimination. Tinubu made the call through Vice President Kashim Shettima, who delivered the President’s message on Sunday at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Luanda, Angola. The President urged the…

Daud Olatunji A clinical oncologist and Chief Executive Officer of Pearl Oncology Specialist Hospital, Dr Omolola Salako, has warned Nigerians that tobacco contains more than 3,000 chemicals capable of triggering cancer, urging citizens to take prevention and early detection seriously. Salako raised the alarm over what she described as the growing incidence of cancer among young Nigerians, saying oncologists were increasingly seeing patients aged between 18 and 39 with cancers that were difficult to predict and often detected late. She spoke during an interview on Sunday. According to the oncologist, the emergence of cancer among young adults presents a major…