Nigeria’s investigative journalist, Fisayo Soyombo, has alleged that men of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in the early hours of Wednesday unloaded yet-to-be-quantified bags of smuggled rice at the ultra modern market built by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi in Lusada, Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Soyombo, founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, who made the disclosure on Wednesday morning in a statement on his verified social media account, also said that the Customs officers are moving the rest of the smuggled rice to Lagos through Totowu River in a village at Igbesa, a route through which the smugglers will burst out at Igando in Lagos.

He further noted that today (Wednesday) is Lusada market day, alleging that every Customs officers involved in the smuggling including the Nigerian Customs fieldmen and top-ranked officers sitting in their offices had been settled to enable the easy move of the smuggled rice.

He wrote, “As I write this, your men are currently helping smugglers sneak loads of bags of rice into Nigeria from the Benin Republic.

“I am yet to establish if this movement is a constituent of the over 6,500,000kg of rice originally billed to be smuggled in with over 2,000 cars, but the smugglers, enabled by your officers, are currently passing through Alapoti to Ketu Adie Owe to Lusada in Ado Odo/Ota LGA of Ogun State.

“Some bags have already been unloaded at the ultra modern market built by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola YAYI in Lusada, while the rest are en route to Lagos via Totowu River in a village at Igbesa. That way, the smugglers will burst out at Igando.

“Today is Lusada market day, so everyone involved, including your fieldmen and the ones with big titles sat back in their offices who have since been ‘settled’, will be laughing all the way to the bank at the expense of the local economy.

“Tomorrow, these same men will announce the phantom seizure of smugglers’ rice; don’t think we don’t know that these are smugglers who didn’t bribe your officers, or that many of the seized bags will end up in markets all the same!”

It had been reported that Soyombo on Sunday alleged that Nigerian customs officers had conspired with Adeyemi Habeeb Abdulganiy, an alleged multi-billionaire-naira smuggler better known as Abuga, to illegally pass about 2000 cars and smuggle in bags of rice into the country.
He said the illegal operation was slated to take place on Sunday, 10th of November, 2024.
However, the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, had told SaharaReporters that Fisayo’s claims were fictitious.

Maiwada had said it was illogical for anyone to believe their personnel were involved in the illegal operation.

But in a post he shared on Tuesday morning, Soyombo released two more videos to substantiate his smuggling allegations against the customs officers.

In a recent event held at the Capital Club in Lagos, Woodhall Capital International Foundation hosted Dr. Anthony Wallersteiner, head of The Stowe Group, alongside his team from the prestigious Stowe School in the UK.

The event, aimed at showcasing the foundation’s work in Nigeria, provided an opportunity to introduce the Stowe team to local communities, Nigerian alumni, and prospective parents.

Stowe School, an esteemed British institution for students aged 13–18, is renowned for its educational excellence and commitment to nurturing students for future challenges.

Woodhall Capital, with its mission to promote Nigeria globally, organised the event to highlight Nigeria’s investment potential and cultural richness.

Viavo Hunponu-Wusu, chairman of Woodhall Capital Foundation, emphasised the importance of such collaborations, noting that the partnership aligns with the foundation’s focus on education, which he describes as “key to addressing societal challenges.”

Dr. Wallersteiner spoke of the meaningful connection between UK charitable organisations and Nigerian philanthropists, stating, “It is exciting to see what can be achieved by working together to make Nigeria, and indeed the world, a better place.”

He shared insights into Stowe School’s initiatives, which include educational programmes and humanitarian outreach in areas like Maiduguri and Borno.

“We’ve been in Nigeria for over a week, feeding more than two thousand children and assisting with education programmes,” Wallersteiner revealed, noting the school’s efforts to educate teachers, support girls’ education, and provide aid to vulnerable youth.

During their stay, the Stowe School team also visited the Soup Kitchen of Woodhall Capital International Foundation, in collaboration with the Kanu Heart Foundation.

Here, they experienced Nigerian cuisine and learned about the foundation’s projects, such as providing dormitories for street children.

The partnership aligns with Woodhall Capital’s broader objective to demonstrate Nigeria’s generosity, with foundation founder Moji Hunponu-Wusu highlighting that “Nigerians are a giving nation, something that isn’t always recognised.”

Stowe School alumni parent, Otunba Funsho Lawal, commended the institution’s impact on his four children, stating, “Stowe brought out the best in my children, shaping them into disciplined and focused individuals.”

Lawal also praised the school’s stability under the consistent leadership of Dr. Wallersteiner.

The event reinforced Woodhall Capital’s commitment to expanding educational opportunities in Nigeria through partnerships with institutions like Stowe.

Hunponu-Wusu expressed her desire for more Nigerians to access high-quality education, both locally and internationally, adding, “We aim to show that our focus on education is international and that Nigerian families also give generously.”

This partnership between Woodhall Capital and Stowe School is part of a larger vision to foster cross-cultural understanding and elevate Nigeria’s educational landscape.

Through such initiatives, Woodhall Capital International Foundation seeks to create a lasting impact that extends beyond borders, celebrating philanthropy and education as universal pillars of progress.

The Director General, National Financial Investigation Agency in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, has been arrested for allegedly recording over 400 sextapes of the wives of notable people in the country.

The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old Economist which resulted in the search of his house and office on impromptu notice by ANIF officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women.

The videos reportedly include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Director General of Police’s wife, and about 20 of the country’s ministers’ wives, among others.

The footage, discovered in his personal office, was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing a media uproar.

In a report by a local media platform, Ahora EG, since last October, Engonga has been involved in a sexual scandal unprecedented in the history of Equatorial Guinea.

The former ANIF DG better known as “Bello” had sexual relations with several women, some of them married, and filmed these intimate encounters.

The report read, “The most striking thing is that some scenes took place in his work office, including moments in which he is seen sleeping with a woman next to the National Flag. Based on this sexual scandal, the Executive has stated that the measure is a direct response to the acts that have affected the image of the country.

“With these new measures, the Government hopes to establish a clear precedent on the expected conduct of public officials in order to create a more respectful work environment in the public and private administration of Equatorial Guinea. For days now, erotic videos have been circulating on social media featuring Baltasar EBANG ENGONGA, better known as “Bello”, who is currently the Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) and is currently imprisoned for alleged corruption issues.

“Baltasar EBANG ENGONGA is said to have filmed these scenes with the consent of the women themselves, which exonerates him from a possible crime of violation of integrity. In the videos, he is seen having unprotected sex with several women, including those married to powerful and well-known people in the country, but also with the most “diva and influential” single women in Equatorial Guinea. Some scenes take place in hotel rooms, houses, even in the protagonist’s office at the Ministry of Finance,” it added.

However, speaking on the viral sextapes, the Attorney General of the country, Nzang Nguema, has stressed that, although the images suggest that the women involved were not forced to participate, the law does not consider consensual sexual relations to be a crime, unless coercion or violence is proven. This highlights the importance of victims reporting situations of sexual abuse or assault.

Nguema also emphasised that the risk is not only for the women involved but also for their partners and the wider community, adding, “The possibility of a contagious disease being spread through these sexual interactions makes the situation even more critical.

He further pointed out that the onus is on victims to come forward in cases of rape or assault, highlighting the need for an environment where people feel safe and supported to report such incidents.

Reacting to the development on Monday, Equatorial Guinea has decided to take action by immediately suspending all officials who have had sexual relations in the offices of the country’s ministries.

The government claimed that the decision was part of its “zero tolerance” policy towards behaviour that compromises the integrity of the public service.

The Vice President of the Republic, Nguema Mangue, has pointed out that these behaviours constitute a flagrant violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.

In his publication on X, he emphasized that “ethics and respect are fundamental in our Administration,” and that irresponsible attitudes that put citizen trust at risk will not be allowed.