The body of late Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has arrived in Abuja where he will be buried on Friday.

The Nigerian Air Force plane NAF 918 carrying the body of the late CoAS landed at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, at around 12:15pm.

The remains of the late CoAS left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos around 11am.

The military top brass were on ground to receive the remains of the late CoAS in Abuja, with military band playing to the loudest.

Upon arrival at the Abuja airport, a guard of honor was accorded to the body of the late CoAS and was taken down this red carpet in full view of Nigeria’s military top brass.

Lagbaja’s body will be interned on Friday at the national military cemetery, Abuja.

The CoAS died last week Tuesday, according to the presidency.

Lagbaja passed away in Lagos after a period of illness. However, the illness was not disclosed.

During this difficult time, President Bola Tinubu expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Born on February 28, 1968, Lagbaja served as the Chief of Army Staff for one year and four months following his appointment to the position by President Tinubu in June 2023.

His military career began when he enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1987. On September 19, 1992, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Infantry Corps as a member of the 39th Regular Course.

Lt. General Lagbaja also served as a platoon commander in the 93 Battalion and the 72 Special Forces Battalion.

He played pivotal roles in numerous internal security operations, including Operation ZAKI in Benue State, Lafiya Dole in Borno, Udoka in South East Nigeria, and Operation Forest Sanity across Kaduna and Niger states.

An alumnus of the prestigious U.S. Army War College, he earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies, demonstrating his dedication to professional growth and excellence in military leadership.

Lt. General Lagbaja is survived by his beloved wife, Mariya, and their two children.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has withheld the international passport of the former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Okowa was arrested by the anti-graft agency on November 4, 2024, over an alleged diversion of N1.3tn derivation fund.

The N1.3trn amounted to a 13 per cent derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

He was also accused of failing to render accounts of the funds as well as another N40bn he allegedly claimed he used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Okowa also allegedly bought shares of N40bn in one of the major banks in the country, representing eight per cent equity to float the offshore LNG.

According to sources in the commission, Okowa was at the EFCC office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and was subsequently arrested by officials of the commission.

A source privy to the matter but not permitted to speak with journalists said Okowa had been released since last week Wednesday, after meeting his bail conditions.

The source said one of the conditions was to submit his travel documents with the agency, pending the conclusion of the matter.

“Okowa is no longer in our custody. He was released last Wednesday after meeting his bail conditions, which include depositing his travel documents with the commission, pending the conclusion of our investigations of the allegations against him.

“The sum allegedly is too huge to take risks. And what we have done is not out of place. This is to prevent anyone under investigation from jumping the bail he/she had been granted,” he said.

Several calls put through to the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were not answered.

He was also yet to respond to the message sent to him on the matter as of the time of filing this report.

Speaking on his trial, Okowa described the allegation that he misappropriated N1.3tn oil derivation funds while in office as laughable and totally false.

Speaking when he received the national leadership of Urhobo Progress Union, led by its President General, Chief Ese Owe, on a solidarity visit at his residence in Asaba, on Tuesday, Okowa said he was not worried by the EFCC invitation.

The former governor, who was speaking publicly on the issue for the first time since his return from honouring the EFCC invitation, said he was confident that he would come out clean.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifejika, the former governor disclosed that the petitioners were driven by mundane political considerations but asserted that he would continue to support Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to deliver on the mandate freely given to him by the Delta people.

“It was a petition written several months ago, but unfortunately, with the politics of our time, some people decided to ensure that Okowa must be invited by the EFCC.

“People are genuinely uncomfortable about Okowa and I was actually invited and I went there by myself and the first thing I saw was that they said I misappropriated N1.3tn. I said, do you know the kind of money you are talking about?

“To successfully take N1.3tn, it means you have to be taking between N16bn and N20bn every month into your pocket. I don’t even know if the President of this country will be able to do that, not to talk of the governor of Delta State.

“They have forgotten that the first in three years we came into office – 2015, 2016 and 2017 – the money that was coming into the state was not even enough to pay salaries at all.

“Some local governments like Ethiope East were owing as much as 15 months salaries and even in the state here, some people were getting half salaries.

“It was a petition written several months ago, but unfortunately, with the politics of our time, some people decided to ensure that Okowa must be invited by the EFCC.

“People are genuinely uncomfortable about Okowa and I was actually invited and I went there by myself and the first thing I saw was that they said I misappropriated N1.3tn. I said, do you know the kind of money you are talking about?

“To successfully take N1.3tn, it means you have to be taking between N16bn and N20bn every month into your pocket. I don’t even know if the President of this country will be able to do that, not to talk of the governor of Delta State.

“They have forgotten that the first in three years we came into office – 2015, 2016 and 2017 – the money that was coming into the state was not even enough to pay salaries at all.

“Some local governments like Ethiope East were owing as much as 15 months salaries and even in the state here, some people were getting half salaries.

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has alleged that the depth of corruption in the power sector would make anyone weep for Nigeria.

He said: “As we speak, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.

“People were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment. Instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will go and buy 5.0.

“Every time you see the thing tripping off, the thing gets burnt, and all of that, it falters and it collapses. It’s part of our problems.”

Olukoyede made the revelation during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes to the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

He stressed the importance of collaboration between the Commission and lawmakers to combat financial crimes effectively.

One of the key areas of concern, according to Olukoyede, is the power sector, where corrupt practices have been undermining the country’s infrastructure.

It was at this point that the EFCC boss revealed that some contractors awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment were cutting corners.

He said they were using substandard materials that have contributed to the frequent power outages and system failures.

This, he said, is one of the many examples of how corruption in critical sectors is holding back the country’s development.

Olukoyede also discussed the EFCC’s new strategic focus on asset tracing and recovery, which he credited for the agency’s successes over the past year.

Furthermore, he revealed that “For every N10 recovered, perhaps N30 or N40 Naira may have been stolen.

“If we recover about N440 billion and several billions of dollars in a year, imagine the total amount siphoned from our system. That’s the unfortunate reality.

“Thus, we are focusing on prevention. Over the last year, we have established a new directorate for risk assessment and control.

“To recover 10 Naira, you may spend between 4 and 5 Naira. But to prevent 10 Naira from being stolen, you spend less than 1 Naira, based on our research and experience.

“Prevention is, therefore, the more effective way to combat corruption.

“We need more resources to carry out our mandate effectively. Our staff are underpaid, and we need to improve their welfare.”

Reacting, Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, expressed the committee’s readiness to support the EFCC through legislation and improved budget allocations.

Onwusibe also urged the Commission to enhance its operational capacity and strengthen collaborations with other agencies and development partners to improve accountability and efficiency in the fight against corruption.”