SAMA TV

01/09/2026

Former Cameroonian minister and ex-Director General of the National Social Insurance Fund, CNPS, Pierre Désiré Engo has reportedly remarried at the age of 85, adding a personal chapter to the life of one of Cameroon’s most prominent—and controversial—former senior state officials.

Reports circulating on Friday say Engo formalised the union with his partner before a civil authority, surrounded by relatives and close associates. It is reported that the marriage took place in Europe, although Sama TV has not independently confirmed the exact country, date of the ceremony or the identity of his new wife.

Born on August 1, 1941, in Ebolowa, Engo served as Minister of Economy and Planning under President Ahmadou Ahidjo before becoming Director General of the CNPS in 1983, a position he held until September 1999. The CNPS itself lists him among its former directors general.

His career took a dramatic turn on September 3, 1999, when he was arrested and detained at Yaoundé’s Kondengui Central Prison in connection with cases involving the management of CNPS funds. United Nations records confirm that Engo subsequently faced several separate criminal proceedings over allegations including misappropriation of public funds, favouritism and corruption.

He remained behind bars for nearly 15 years before walking free on May 8, 2014, following a presidential sentence-reduction measure and a decision by the Special Criminal Court to lift a separate provisional detention order. At the time, however, that release was accompanied by an order preventing him from leaving Cameroon while another case remained unresolved.

That second case has proved remarkably persistent. Engo continues to face allegations concerning the alleged diversion of 25 billion FCFA linked to the construction of a CNPS building in Douala. He has denied wrongdoing, and his lawyers have challenged the evidence against him.

More than a decade after his release, the case is still not concluded. A 2025 judicial report said the Special Criminal Court had been waiting since 2014 for results from an international rogatory commission examining accounts in France. And court schedules show the case Public Prosecutor/State of Cameroon (CNPS) v. Pierre Désiré Engo was still before the Special Criminal Court as recently as June 25, 2026.

The reported European wedding therefore raises an additional unanswered question. If Engo was prohibited from leaving Cameroon when he regained his freedom in 2014, was that travel restriction subsequently lifted—and, if so, when and under what judicial decision? Sama TV has not found a publicly available document clarifying the current status of that restriction.

For now, what is clear is that at 85, Engo has entered another marriage while a judicial saga that began more than two decades ago remains unfinished.

01/09/2026

Two Cameroonian soldiers have been killed in an attack claimed by the Fako Meme Unity Warriors, an armed separatist group operating in the South West Region.

Military sources cited by Xinhua say the soldiers were ambushed on Saturday, August 29, in Mbonge, Meme Division. The report provides more precise information than earlier accounts that placed the incident around the Muyuka-Kumba axis.
MMI News has reviewed a graphic video lasting more than a minute in which armed separatist fighters are seen surrounding the bodies of two men presented as the soldiers killed in the attack. The fighters remove parts of their military clothing and display the bodies before the camera.

The Fako Meme Unity Warriors, reportedly led by a self-styled separatist commander known as “General Sky,” claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group has carried out several attacks against government forces in the Fako-Meme corridor in recent months. In May, it claimed an assault on a military position in Muyuka in which soldiers were killed and weapons reportedly seized. Another attack was reported at Likoko in the Muyuka area in June.

The latest killing also comes weeks after government forces intensified operations against separatist fighters operating around Mbonge and Muyuka.
On July 20, the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR, said it raided a separatist hideout at Bai Road, killing two suspected fighters and recovering fi****ms, ammunition, communications equipment and suspected explosive-making materials.

Days earlier, on July 16, government forces killed prominent separatist commander Tandu Lazarus, popularly known as “General Sagat,” in Ekona, Fako Division. Sagat had been associated with the Fako Mountain Lions, another separatist formation active in the area.
Cameroon’s English-speaking North West and South West regions have been engulfed in armed conflict since separatist groups took up arms following the violent escalation of protests over political and linguistic grievances.

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

Nearly 30 years after the fatal shooting of rap icon Tupac Shakur, a Las Vegas jury has delivered a verdict, convicting a former gang leader for orchestrating his death.

The court found Duane "Keffe D" Davis, 63, guilty of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon for his role in the drive-by shooting that killed Shakur on September 7, 1996.

The jury deliberated for about three hours following a weeks-long trial. According to prosecutors, Davis, who was a leader of the South Side Compton Crips at the time, orchestrated the attack in retaliation for a beating his nephew, Orlando Anderson, had suffered at the hands of Shakur's entourage at a Las Vegas casino hours earlier.

Prosecutors did not say Davis was the shooter, but argued he was criminally responsible because he provided the gun and ordered the attack. He could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at a hearing scheduled for October 13.

Following the verdict, Davis told the judge he plans to appeal. The guilty verdict is the first conviction in a case that has remained one of America's most famous unsolved crimes for 30 years. Shakur, 25 at the time of his death, was one of the most influential figures in hip-hop and had sold over 75 million records worldwide.

01/09/2026

BREAKING:
Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has officially announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to an extraordinary career of more than two decades with the national team.

The 39-year-old Inter Miami star announced his decision on Monday, August 31, in a message posted on social media. He said he had initially written the retirement message on July 21, two days after Argentina’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.

Messi was also hit by the death of his father, Jorge Messi, who died on August 8 in Rosario at the age of 68 after a long illness. His father had played a major role in his career and had long served as his agent and adviser.

“After all this time that has passed since the final, having thought about it a lot, I want to let everyone know that I am retiring from the national team,” Messi wrote.

“It was a decision that hurt and still hurts deep in my soul, but I understand that this is the moment. I swear I always gave everything—not just in these last years when everything was won, but before that too—and I always fought and gave my all for this shirt, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”

Messi leaves the national team as Argentina’s most-capped player and all-time leading goalscorer, with 207 appearances and 125 goals.

With 21 World Cup goals, he also finishes as the second-highest scorer in the history of the men’s competition, behind France’s Kylian Mbappé, who has 22.

In his emotional farewell message, Messi said he had given everything to the national team and believed the time had come to allow a new generation of players to step forward.

“Thank you for all the love over these 20 years. I will really miss hearing you from the inside. Now I will be one of you, cheering and supporting from the outside always—in good times and bad, and especially in the bad,” he said.

Messi ends one of the greatest international careers in football history. He captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, won the 2021 and 2024 Copa América, and led his country to the final of the 2026 World Cup.

His club career will continue, with Messi remaining under contract with Inter Miami through the 2028 MLS season.

30/08/2026

A fresh wave of land grabbing is rocking the Cameroon Development Corporation's Esuke palm plantation along the Mutengene–Limbe road, where 152 young oil palms have been destroyed in two separate incidents within a week.

On Wednesday, August 26, engine saw operators, guarded by security forces according to witnesses, descended on the estate for the second time, chopping down 100 palms. The destruction came less than a week after 52 palms were felled on the same plantation.

The perpetrators, who identify as the Mutengene Muslim Community, are laying claim to the 44-hectare plantation, part of the CDC's Bota Palms Estate. They say they intend to use the land for a 3,000-capacity mosque, a hospital, and a centre for internally displaced persons.

Witnesses told journalists that the saw operators were escorted by police, gendarmes, and military officers. The operators, they said, had been hired from Douala after those in Mutengene refused to do the job because they deemed it illegal.

The destruction comes as administrative authorities—the Fako Senior Divisional Officer Viang Mekala and the South West Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai—have remained silent, despite commanding the security forces deployed to guard the illegal operation.

Observers point to masked administrative officials who appear to be backing the so-called Muslim community.

CDC General Manager Franklin Ngoni Njie has denounced the destruction, stating that the company has received no authorisation from the presidency to surrender any part of its land. Instead, a 2020 presidential decree that suspended all land surrenders by the CDC remains in force, he said.

30/08/2026

🚨 SHOCKING REVELATIONS WITHIN THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE 🇨🇲
Dismissed Captain Kenneth Effoudou, nicknamed the "man with the magic notebook," exposes the corruption network plaguing appointments and postings at the Secretariat of State for Defense in charge of the Gendarmerie (SED).
​According to his statements, Cameroon currently has:
​445 territorial brigades
​15 research brigades
​26 highway platoons
​THE FEE SCHEDULE OF THE MAFIA NETWORK:
​Transfer to a highway platoon: 5,000,000 FCFA
​Appointment as Brigade Commander: 5,000,000 FCFA
​Appointment as Research Brigade Commander: 10,000,000 FCFA
​Appointment as Highway Platoon Commander: 20,000,000 FCFA
​Departure for a training course for a gendarme: 500,000 FCFA
​These revelations shed direct light on the daily extortion suffered by road users. It is an institutionalized scam system, endorsed at the highest level and operated openly in plain view of all administrative and political authorities (divisional officers, sub-divisional officers, mayors, members of parliament).
​What do you think? Share your opinions in the comments. 👇
​

30/08/2026

President Bola Tinubu has filed a challenge in a US court to prevent the Department of Justice, FBI, and DEA from releasing records linked to past drug trafficking allegations.

The documents are being sought under the Freedom of Information Act by transparency activist Aaron Greenspan.

According to a 16-page court filing shared with Channels Television by his legal team, President Tinubu argued that releasing undisclosed details would infringe on his privacy rights, maintaining he has committed no wrongdoing.

27/08/2026

2026–2027 SCHOOL YEAR: HIGH COMMAND LOCKS DOWN SECURITY AHEAD OF SEPTEMBER 7 REOPENING
​With 12 days to go before the official kickoff, Cameroon is placing security at the center of the upcoming academic year.
​The decision follows a closed-door strategic meeting held Wednesday, August 26 in Yaoundé. The session was chaired by Minister of Defense Joseph Beti Assomo, acting on High Instructions from President Paul Biya, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
​The meeting convened top national security leadership, including Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji, Gendarmerie Chief Galax Etoga, Police Chief Martin Mbarga Nguélé, Chief of Defense Staff Lt. Gen. René Claude Meka, and all Military and Gendarmerie Regional Commanders. The core objective: assess nationwide risks and deploy an operational security apparatus across all 10 regions.
​Official Academic Calendar
​According to a joint decree issued August 14 by Basic Education Minister Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa and Secondary Education Minister Prof. Nalova Lyonga, the schedule is confirmed as follows:
​August 31, 2026: Administrative staff resumption
​September 2, 2026: Teacher orientation and pedagogical resumption
​Monday, September 7, 2026 (7:30 AM): Nationwide student return
​Christmas Break: December 18, 2026 – January 4, 2027
​Easter Break: March 25 – April 12, 2027
​Key Security Priorities
​Defense Minister Beti Assomo requested detailed, region-by-region border assessments, focusing on distinct regional threats:
​Northwest and Southwest: Residual violent acts targeting civilians and educators
​Far North: Remaining strike capabilities of Boko Haram insurgents
​Adamawa, East, and Littoral: Kidnappings for ransom, cattle rustling, and narcotics trafficking
​Meeting outcomes will be submitted to the Head of State, while immediate operational directives were issued to maintain national stability. The Minister also called for strengthening civilian-military relations.
​Administrative Crackdown and Digital Reforms
​The security push coincides with regulatory enforcement. On July 20, the Ministry of Secondary Education shut down 105 non-compliant private schools, including 52 in the Littoral region alone. Additionally, authorities have mandated a Single Student Identification Number via the official portal (cartescolaire.cm), alongside exclusive electronic tuition payments through Campost, Express Union, MTN, and Afriland First Bank.
​Security forces maintain that measures are fully sealed, issuing a reassuring message to parents, students, and teachers .The school year will resume in peace and safety. For any confidential info WhatsApp+237680785857.

06/08/2026

MISSING PERSON ALERT: BOBGA SHALOM ZANGMI
​Please help us find Bobga Shalom Zangmi, a 22-year-old native of Balikumbat who resides in Bonduma, Buea. She is currently unfamiliar with Douala.
​Incident Details:
​Last Seen: Yesterday around 11:00 AM at Marché Central, Douala.
​Circumstances: After her phone was stolen at the market, she visited an MTN branch to block her SIM card. She then boarded a commercial motorcycle heading toward the transport park, intending to return to Buea to meet a friend who could assist in tracking her phone.
​Current Status: She failed to arrive back in Buea and has not been seen or heard from since.
​If you have any information regarding her whereabouts or have seen her anywhere, please contact immediately:
📞 +237 6 82 22 65 87
​Every piece of information helps. Please share this post widely to assist in bringing her home safely.