Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Zainab Abioye More than 2,000 residents of Dekera District in Niger State have reportedly fled Nigeria for neighbouring Benin Republic following a wave of attacks and mass abductions by armed men, Amnesty International has said. The rights organisation disclosed this in a statement on Friday, warning that the mass displacement underscores the worsening security crisis confronting rural communities in northern Nigeria. According to Amnesty International, the residents crossed into Benin Republic after gunmen attacked communities in the area on Friday, August 21, during which hundreds of people were reportedly abducted. The development has raised fresh concerns over the ability of…

Mujeeb Akindoyin Nigeria has recorded more than 65,000 suspected cholera cases across 35 states and about 195 local government areas, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has disclosed. The NCDC Director-General, Jide Idris, who disclosed this in Abuja on Friday, said although the country had witnessed a substantial decline from the peak of the outbreak, cholera transmission remained active and could worsen with the onset of conditions favourable to its spread. Idris raised particular concern over the impact of the rainy season and flooding, warning that contaminated water sources and overstretched sanitation systems could trigger a fresh wave…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has extradited two Nigerians, Mudashiru Afeez Olawale and Adebola Festus Adekunle, to the United States to face prosecution over alleged online sexual exploitation and sextortion involving two American teenage boys. The EFCC said the two suspects were linked to separate investigations by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation into online schemes targeting male minors, particularly teenagers aged between 13 and 17. According to the commission, the investigations established alleged links between the suspects and two cases in which the victims later died. The EFCC disclosed this in a statement on Friday, explaining that…

Daud Olatunji The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered an alleged plot in which the biological mother of a two-year-old boy, identified as Rito Jesse Davou, reportedly conspired with others to fake his abduction and demand ransom from the family. The police said the investigation led to the arrest of 34-year-old Nansik Wuyep Sule, who was allegedly involved in the staged kidnapping, while another suspect, Luka Emmanuel Butdam, was detained for allegedly making ransom calls to the child’s grandmother. According to the police, the ransom demand initially stood at N7m before it was allegedly increased to N15m as the suspects sought…

Zainab Abioye Several members of the National Youth Service Corps have been abducted by gunmen along the Aloma-Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, with the police confirming the rescue of 11 victims. The incident occurred on Wednesday when armed assailants reportedly emerged from the bush around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction, and intercepted two buses travelling in opposite directions. The victims were said to be corps members returning from the NYSC orientation camp in Bayelsa State and heading towards Abuja and their various places of primary assignment. The Kogi State Police Command, however, said…

Awe Ayomide The United States Department of Homeland Security has published the names of 10 more Nigerians listed on its controversial “Worst of the Worst” register of immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over alleged criminal offences. The latest disclosure, published on the DHS official website, includes Nigerians accused in cases ranging from wire fraud and identity theft to dangerous drugs, assault, conspiracy and offences involving children. The publication comes barely a month after the US authorities released a separate list containing 124 Nigerians on the same register. The latest 10 Nigerians identified by the DHS are: Temitope Bashua…

Daud Olatunji The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2027 election, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that he possesses evidence showing that President Bola Tinubu is 90 years old, saying he is prepared to present the evidence before a court if necessary. Atiku, a former Vice-President, made the claim in an interview with the BBC published on Friday while defending his decision to seek the presidency again in 2027. The allegation comes as political parties and their candidates begin positioning themselves for the 2027 presidential election, with Atiku emerging as the ADC candidate and Tinubu expected to seek…

Daud Olatunji President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the Federal Government’s personnel, payroll and administrative systems following the discovery of ghost workers, fictitious agencies and other control failures across the public service. The President also directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to oversee the exercise, which will scrutinise the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System and other government platforms linked to personnel and financial management. The directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The development followed…

Daud Olatunji The Ogun State Government has intensified the remediation of lead-contaminated areas in Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area, with the evacuation of illegally dumped industrial slags from affected communities. The ongoing clean-up, being coordinated by the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), is aimed at removing suspected sources of lead contamination and other hazardous materials that could pose environmental and public health risks to residents, workers and other stakeholders. The remediation exercise, which commenced earlier in the week, forms part of the state government’s efforts to address the environmental impact of industrial activities in Ogijo and restore affected communities…

Daud Olatunji A Nigerian national, identified as Idris Ibrahim, has been executed in Saudi Arabia after the country’s courts upheld his conviction for cocaine trafficking. Saudi Arabian authorities have executed a Nigerian citizen, Idris Ibrahim, following the conclusion of legal proceedings over his conviction for smuggling cocaine into the Kingdom. Ibrahim was executed in the Madina region on Monday, August 24, 2026, after his conviction and death sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal and subsequently by the Supreme Court. According to a report by DW Hausa, the Saudi authorities carried out the execution after the judicial process against…