Balotelli’s Brother Wants England Link-Up...

Enoch Balotelli, the younger sibling of Italy international Mario, has revealed he dreams of playing alongside his brother in the Premier League.

Enoch has previously had unsuccessful trials with Stoke and Sunderland, while in 2012 he joined English lower league side Salford City FC and last October cut his ties with Maltese side Qormi FC due to lack of playing time.Although he neither expects, nor wants, any favours based on being the AC Milan striker’s brother, the 20-year-old believes both he and Mario are suited to playing in England, and that they could one day be on the same team.

AGGRIEVED YOUTHS PLAN TO DUMP COFFINS IN ABBA MORO’S OFFICE ABORTED

A plan by aggrieved unemployed Nigerian youths to dump nine caskets both at the residential home and office of the embattled minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, was yesterday foiled by a combined team of armed policemen, immigration and civil defence officers.

This is even as about four of the organisers who defied instructions to vacate both premises by stern looking armed men positioned to thwart the exercise as well as protect the minister’s convoy were arrested and taken away to unknown locations at about 4pm.

BOKO HARAM ESCAPE LATEST: HOW SSS RECOVERED GSM PHONE IN DEAD BOKO HARAM MEMBER’S POCKET...

Security operatives discovered a cell phone on the corpse of a Boko Haram sect detainee who was among the 21 suspects killed on Sunday

during the crossfire between State Security Services, SSS personnel and insurgents at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

Nigerian Pilot gathered that the suspect was having the cell phone on him at the time he was killed.

Security officials, who expressed shock over the incident, noted that such high calibre terror suspects are always denied access to luxuries such as mobile telephones, television sets, newspapers and other communication devices while in detention.

FOR SLEEPING ON DUTY SEVERALLY- ANYIM PIUS ANYIM FACES SACK...

Barring any change of mind, President Goodluck Jonathan may sack the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as soon as he returns from his overseas trip to Brussels, presidency sources hinted last night.

The sack of the SGF, Nigerian Pilot gathered, has been on the table for quite some time now. Already, the trio of Presidential Adviser on Inter-Party Relations and former Senator, Chief Ben Obi, former Senate President, Dr. Ken Nnamani and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has been shortlisted as possible replacements.

SIT- TIGHT SURVEYOR GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION FACES SACK...

Tension is mounting on the surveyor-general of the federation, Professor Peter Nwilo, who has yet to retire from the civil service after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60, LEADERSHIP investigation has shown.

Prof. Nwilo, who was born on February 15, 1954, commenced his working career with the civil service in the Survey division of Sokoto State on August 1980 after a stint with Aniyoms Surveys and A. Lakanu & Co. Surveys, Lagos between 1977 and 1979.

But as at the time of filing this report, he has yet to retire from his position as the surveyor-general of the federation.

ACTOR JIM IYKE LOSES MUM...

This is surely not the best of times for popular and controversial Nollywood bad boy actor, Jim Iyke.

News just filtered in that Jim Iyke’s mother passed on yesterday, and the bad boy who had been in Ghana has flown into the country this morning.

Abujareport.com gathered that Jim Iyke’s mother had been having serious health challenges for some time now, and was at a point flown to India for surgery, the entire treatment session sponsored by popular philanthropist, Hajia Halima Abubakar, whom Jim Iyke later reportedly swindled, and the matter still in court. Until her death, the late woman lived in an Abuja suburb with other members of her family

SOKOTO GOVERNOR WAMAKKO BATTLES DEPUTY FOR STICKING WITH PDP...

Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko,  has stripped his deputy, Mukhtari Shagari, of cabinet responsibility.

Shagari, a lawyer,  had been overseeing the Ministry of Science and Technology until  he was relieved of the position.

In a statement made available to Daily Sun in Sokoto, the government stated  that a newly sworn in commissioner, Alhaji Ibrahim Hussain, has been assigned to the portfolio.

The development  is a tacit indication of a   cold war  between the governor and his deputy since they both made public their opposite  political platform few months ago.

How Borno-Bound Soldiers And Guards Brigade Men Saved SSS Hq From Boko Haram Onslaught...

About 7 operatives died...

More facts emerged yesterday on what actually transpired at the headquarters of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Abuja on Sunday.

A military source who gave a blow by blow account of the incident recalled how the gun duel between Boko Haram detainees and the operatives left over eight personnel dead before soldiers from the Guards Brigade rushed to the scene to stop the terrorists from killing more security officers.

According to the source, the Boko Haram suspects had after hitting the officer that had gone into the cell with their food, disarmed him and killed him on the spot.

After killing the security officer, they locked his body inside the cell and started shooting and killing the other personnel at sight and dispossessing them of their weapons with which they used to attack and kill other personnel on duty.

Meet The New Zenith Bank Group Managing Director...

Zenith Bank Plc yesterday announced the appointment of Mr Peter Olisamedua Amangbo as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive designate of the bank.

His appointment is sequel to the approval of the nomination of Mr. Godwin Emefiele as the Governor Designate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the National Assembly last Thursday.

The bank made the announcement, which is subject to the approval of the CBN, in a letter which it sent to the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday. According to the letter, the appointment will take effect from June 1, 2014.

The board of the bank had resolved to appoint Amangbo at a special meeting attended by eight directors including the CBN governor designate, Emefiele, which held at the Zenith Bank head office in Lagos, yesterday morning.

MTN Loses 3,667 Customers To Other Networks In January...

The Mobile Telecommunications Network, MTN Nigeria, lost a total of 3,667 subscribers to other networks through Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Jan. 2014, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said.

This is contained in the “Port-Out Activities“ of Mobile Network Operators’ report, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday by the NCC.

According to the report, MTN was the worst hit during the MNP’s exercise in January 2014, as customers leaving the network increased from 3,052 in December 2013 to 3,667 in January 2014.

Airtel Nigeria also lost 1,429 subscribers through the exercise in January, as against the 1,199 customers it lost in December 2013.

DOUBLE WAHALA FOR SANUSI: SSS SAYS HE’S BEING INVESTIGATED FOR FINANCING TERRORISM...

The Department of State Security Service (SSS), on Monday claimed that the international passport of suspended Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, was seized due to suspicion that he is allegedly financing terrorism.

The claim was made before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, where Sanusi filed a suit for the enforcement of his fundamental rights in the wake of his suspension from office by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Service, in its preliminary objection to the suit, said its decision to seize Sanusi’s international passport on February 20 as he arrived at the Lagos international airport was due to the said allegation.

Counsel for SSS, Moses Idakwo noted that its client was investigating Sanusi for allegedly financing terrorism, adding that his interaction with SSS officials did not last one hour and could not constitute a violation of his rights.

COURT RESTRAINS DEFECTING REPS FROM EFFECTING CHANGE IN HOUSE LEADERSHIP...

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining the lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC from effecting any leadership change.

Delivering judgment, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the defected lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally, to stay in the House of Reps.

He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members of the House of Representative , having moved to another political party, while their tenure had yet to expire.

“Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform.

“It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP.

“The defendants are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives.

DEFECTING G-5 GOVERNORS MAY RETURN TO PDP...

As Tinubu’s stranglehold on APC creates more problems for the party...

The festering crisis within the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, may have taken a new dimension as the G-5 governors’ who defected from the Peoples Democratic Part, PDP, last year are reportedly considering a possible return to their former party.

A cold war is currently rocking the APC over the composition of its National Executive Council and the 2015 presidential election.

This was just as the former military administrator of Borno and Lagos states, Gen. Buba Marwa, had got his supporters’ nod, after a town hall meeting inYola, Adamawa State, yesterday to dump the APC for the ruling PDP.

This may have put an end to speculations over the disenchantment of the retired general with the APC since Governor Murtala Nyako was handed the control of the APC in the state.

GOODLUCK JONATHAN’S ADOPTED DAUGHTER FAITH SAKWE ELIZABETH SET TO WED...

The wedding bells are tolling for Jonathan’s adopted daughter, Faith Sakwe Elizabeth who is set to say I do to her hearthrob of many years in the next couple of days. According to reports

Faith was adopted by the Jonathan’s when she was young. She will be getting married traditionally, on Saturday, 5th April, 2014, to her hearthrob, Godswill Osim Edward in the President’s home place, Otuoke in Bayelsa State. As usual the traditional wedding precedes the white wedding. However both the Otueke and Abuja events are expected to be crowd pullers as, many dignitaries from all walks of life are expected to grace the occasions.

The Otueke event would be followed by the wedding proper at the National Ecumenical Centre, Central Area, Abuja, followed by a reception at the International Conference Centre, Herbert Macaulay Way, Abuja on Saturday, 12th April, 2014.