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Banky W Condemns LSG’s Decision To Re-open Lekki Toll Gate

Musician and fledgling politician Olubankole Wellington aka Banky W has joined a few celebrities to publicly condemn the decision of the Lagos State Government to resume toll collection at the Lekki toll gate.

In a post made via his Twitter page on Thursday the 17th of March, Banky W said that the government’s decision to reopen the toll showed a “serious lack of empathy.”

It would be recalled that the Lekki-toll gate was the site where Nigerian youths who converged to peacefully protest ill-treatment by law enforcement officers were brutally murdered by men of the Nigerian army.

In the aftermath of the #EndSARS massacre, the toll gate became defunct. A panel set up to investigate the Lekki toll gate incident confirmed that there were indeed live rounds fired at peaceful protesters at the toll gate contrary to the federal government’s initial claim that only blank bullets were fired.

Banky also stated in his tweet that the timing to reopen the toll gate was unfair due to the hardship currently faced by Nigerians – inflation is at an all-time high and the nation is also currently undergoing her longest ever period of fuel scarcity.

The intended resumption of collections at the Lekki toll gate is yet another example of a serious lack of empathy by the Lagos State Govt. Life in Nigeria has been extremely difficult. All things being considered, the timing of this decision is just unfair.

Lagos State is exhibiting a blatant disregard – not just for the pain felt by all the young people who were hurt by the events of #EndSARS, but also the pain and difficulty being experienced by the majority of Lagosians just trying to survive in these difficult times.

banky w tweet

Read Also: Pray For Nigeria – Davido Bemoans Huge Cost Of Clearing His Latest Car

The government announced that the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) will resume operating the toll gate on Friday, April 1, 2022.  It added that the first two weeks after business resumes at the toll gate would be charge-free for commuters with toll collection to begin on the 15th of April. Regardless, the government’s facile effort to pacify Lagosians appears futile.

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EFCC Detains Former Governor Of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa

okowa sacks Latimore Oghenesivbe

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have detained a former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, for the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion of the 13 percent derivation fund from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023.

A source close to proceedings says that Mr Okowa was detained on Monday, 4 November, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when he reported at the Port Harcourt Directorate of the EFCC on the invitation of investigators handling his matter.

The former governor allegedly failed to account for the funds and another N40 billion he allegedly claimed to have used to acquire shares in the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Mr Okowa allegedly bought N40 billion worth of shares in one of the major banks in Nigeria, representing eight percent equity, to float the offshore LNG.

The funds were allegedly used for other purposes. The anti-graft agency is also investigating the former governor’s alleged diversion of funds to acquire estates in the nation’s capital, Abuja, and Asaba in Delta State.

He is being held at the EFCC holding facility in Port Harcourt.When contacted on Monday evening, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed Mr Okowa’s detention but declined to give details.

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400 Sex tapes of Equatorial Guinea Government Official Causes Ripples Across The Continent

Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a top government official in Equatorial Guinea, is at the center of a scandal causing ripples across the world. Engonga, who leads the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), is responsible for tackling financial crimes and corruption. But in a surprising twist, he’s now under fire for his involvement in an alleged sex tape scandal involving hundreds of private recordings.

According to reports, Engonga secretly recorded over 400 explicit videos that allegedly feature high-profile individuals and their family members, including some very close to Equatorial Guinea’s political elite. In the various tapes circulating online, Engonga is seen having sexual intercourse with various married women, including his brother’s wife, cousin, the Director General of Police’s wife, about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, and a sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea. According to reports, the 400 sex tapes were retrieved during an investigation of the official for alleged fraud and released online to the general public. The tapes show Engonga in places like his office, hotels, and toilets recording the act with the consent of his partners.

Engonga’s job is to lead investigations into financial misconduct (just like the EFCC boss does in Nigeria), but this scandal has nothing to do with his professional responsibilities. Instead, it focuses on his alleged private activities. Reports reveal that Engonga allegedly made secret recordings of intimate moments of those involved. To make things even more controversial, some of the tapes are said to involve his cousin and even the sister of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

This scandal has rocked Equatorial Guinea’s political circles, where privacy and loyalty are highly valued. Engonga is well-connected within the government and even has ties to the president, which makes these accusations especially shocking. Many people are now questioning the integrity of those in power, wondering if leaders who enforce laws and fight crime are also breaking ethical boundaries

For a country that’s already under international scrutiny for corruption, this scandal is drawing even more attention. Engonga’s role as head of the financial crime agency means he’s supposed to promote transparency and fight corruption. But with these allegations hanging over him, people are wondering if these values are genuinely upheld within the government or if it’s all just a front

This scandal goes even deeper. Engonga was initially under investigation for corruption. Authorities claim he redirected approximately 1,223 million CFA francs (about $2 million) of state funds into his personal accounts during his leadership at ANIF. This led to asset seizures and his initial arrest. But it was during this financial probe that officials stumbled upon the tapes on his computer, revealing another layer of Engonga’s controversial lifestyle.

The Attorney General’s Office, led by Anatolio Nzang Nguema, is now fully investigating the case against Baltasar Ebang Engonga. This isn’t just about the tapes themselves, the authorities are also examining whether Engonga may have exposed others to health risks by potentially spreading sexually transmitted infections (STIs). According to sources, Engonga could face serious charges for “endangering public health” if it’s proven that he knowingly put others at risk.

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Court Siezes $2.04m worth of properties linked to Emefiele

On Friday, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered a final forfeiture of 2.04 million dollars, linked to the suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele. Justice Isaac Dipeolu also ordered the final forfeiture of landed properties and share certificates of Queensdorf Global Fund Ltd Trust, all linked to Emefiele. The court made the final orders of forfeiture, after holding that the former CBN governor or any other interested party did not contest the same after an earlier interim forfeiture order

The court held that the respondent could not connect his lawful earnings from Zenith Bank and the CBN to the acquisition of the properties. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) had by a motion on August 15, sought an order to forfeit the properties on grounds that they were reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Oyedepo had added that the orders sought were under Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act 2006, Section 44 (2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

The court had granted the interim order of forfeiture on the properties and had adjourned for any interested party to appear in court and show cause. In its ruling on Friday, the court held that the respondent failed to provide documents or links to show that he owned the properties.

The court held that the conclusion that can be deduced is that there must be something dark about the acquisition of the properties, which the respondent and the companies do not want to come to light.

The judge consequently, held that “the interested party has failed to demonstrate any lawful interest in the properties and that they were acquired from his legitimate earnings”.

“I, therefore order the final forfeiture to the Federal Government of Nigeria, of all those properties, which are reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities”.

The properties are two fully detached duplexes of identical structures, lying and situated at No. 17b Hakeem Odumosu Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos

An undeveloped land, measuring 1919.592sqm at Oyinkan Abayomi Drive Ikoyi, Lagos; a bungalow at No. 65a Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos and a four-bedroom duplex at 12a Probyn Road, Ikoyi.”

Others are an industrial complex under construction, 22 plots of land in Agbor, Delta State; eight units of an undetached apartment at No. 8a Adekunle Lawal Road, Ikoyi, and a full duplex together with all its appurtenances on a plot of land at 2a Bank Road, Ikoyi, Lagos

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