Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has died at the
age of 56, according to a state house press statement. Lt. General Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos following an illness, as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

President Tinubu expressed profound sadness over the loss of a “dedicated servant
of the nation” whose military career spanned over three decades.

Lt. General Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023. His service history includes numerous leadership roles in critical security operations such as Operation ZAKI in Benue, Lafiya Dole in Borno, and Forest Sanity across
Kaduna and Niger States. A distinguished alumnus of the U.S. Army War College with a Master’s in Strategic Studies, Lt. General Lagbaja was recognized for his strategic acumen.

Lt. General Lagbaja is survived by his beloved wife, Mariya, and their two children. President Tinubu expresses his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces during this difficult time. The president wishes Lt. General Lagbaja eternal peace and honors his significant contributions to the nation.

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.

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