PRESIDENT BUHARI TO DECLARE TWO DAY RETREAT FOR MINISTERS TODAY.

President Mohammadu Buhari is expected to declare open a two day retreat for the confirmed ministerial nominees later this morning.

The retreat which would run from today through Friday would hold at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina confirmed the development late last night.

“The retreat would open to moor in the villa”, he said.

It is believed that the exercise would herald the inauguration of the ministers

ARREST AND CONTINUOUS DETENTION OF RADIO BIAFRA BOSS IS SHAPING MIND OF ACTIVIST - MASSOB THREATENS.

Reactions have continued to trail the arrest and detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the Director of Radio Biafra which has been broadcasting and hyping the struggle for the emergence of a Republic of Biafra from the Eastern part of Nigeria, a struggle being championed by the Movement for Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra [MASSOB] and Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The Federal Government has for long without success been trying to nail the radio station and the promoters.

Members of the MASSOB and IPOB were die-hard listeners of the radio station and adore those behind its operation.

MAN KILLS GIRLFRIEND IN IMO FOR REFUSING MARRIAGE PROPOSAL.

One Miss Onyinyechi Okegbulam of Egbu in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State has allegedly been killed by her boyfriend for refusing his marriage proposal.

A source, who spoke on grounds of anonymity, said that the girl was shot in the head at close range by her supposed boyfriend in the village.

The source recalled that the deceased was, last Saturday, lured out of her family home by the boyfriend at about 7p.m.

FIVE OFFICERS OF @POLICENG ARRESTED FOR TORTURING JOURNALIST AND OTHERS.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested five policemen attached to the anti-robbery section of the State Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, over the abduction and torture of a journalist, Femi Owolabi, and others.

It was earlier reported on Monday that Owolabi and about 30 others were abducted by the policemen who embarked on an illegal raid near a night club in the FESTAC area of the state. The victims were conveyed in three blue buses to the SDCI and tortured for several hours.

The report subsequently drew the ire of human rights activists who demanded the prosecution of the culprits.

POPULAR EBEANO SUPERMARKET AT LEKKI PHASE-1 IS ON FIRE...

The biggest supermarket in Lekki Phase 1 along Admiralty road is on fire...

WHAT HAPPENED TO DELE GIWA???????

October 19 marked the 29th anniversary the assassination of Dele Giwa, crusading journalist and founding chief executive of the magazine Newswatch, in what remains one of the most horrific acts of preternatural malevolence ever carried out in Nigeria.

Because of the passage of time and the twists and turns on the political landscape, the anniversary generated less attention and fewer reminiscences than in previous years.  But      three weeks later, the circumstances of Giwa’s death leapt onto the front pages and headlines, propelled by a crack-brained theory resurrected by Chris Omeben, the since-retired deputy inspector- general of police who had supervised the investigations.

COURT FIX NOV 10 TO RULE ON NDLEA VS KASHAMU.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed November 10, 2015 to rule on an application by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency seeking to reverse an order preventing the agency from seizing Mr. Buruji Kashamu’s property.

The ruling was adjourned on Tuesday as the presiding judge in the case, Justice Ibrahim Buba, did not sit.

Kashamu, whose election into the Senate was recently nullified at the tribunal, had on  June 29, 2015 obtained the restraining order from Justice Buba.

NCC RENEWS MTN'S LICENCE TILL 2021 FOR $94M.

South Africa’s MTN on Tuesday said the Nigerian regulator had renewed its operations and licence up to 2021 at a cost of 94.2 million dollars .

MTN said that it received confirmation from the regulator that its operating spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands had been renewed.

There were media reports recently that MTN had a 5.2 billion dollars’ fine imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for failing to deregister SIM cards in its largest market.

EFCC DECLARES FORMER CHAIRMAN OF PENSION REFORM TASK TEAM ALDULRASHEED MAINA WANTED FOR 2BN FRAUD.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, declared Mr. Abdulrsheed Maina, former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, wanted.

The commission, in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said Maina  was wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which himself and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, and two others allegedly stole over N2 billion of pension funds.

Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretense.

ELECTION TRIBUNAL UPHOLDS OKEZIE IKPEAZU'S ELECTION AS GOVERNOR OF ABIA STATE.

The Abia State Governorship Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, on Tuesday, upheld Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who was candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the April 11 Governorship election in the State as winner of the election.

The tribunal dismissed the petition of candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Alex Otti.

TIMIPRE SYLVA'S LONELY WALK AHEAD OF GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION AS 6 GOVERNORS AND ALAIBE BOYCOTT INAUGURATION OF CAMPAIGN COUNCIL.

Signs that the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, is walking on a lonely path ahead of December 5 governorship election became glaring yesterday when six out of seven governors slated for the inauguration of his campaign council failed to turn up for the ceremony.

It will be recalled that Sylva’s emergence as the governorship candidate became controversial after the first primary election was marred by violence.

His closest rival in the election, Mr. Timi Alaibe, who was a member of the campaign council, was absent just as the APC deputy national publicity secretary and   Bayelsa indigene, Timi Frank, rejected his membership.

CAF RELEASES 10-MAN SHORTLIST FOR AFRICAN FOOTBALLER WITHOUT ANY NIGERIAN MAKING THE LIST.

The Confederation of African Football has released a shortlist of the 10 players still in the race for the 2015 Glo/CAF African Player of the Year award with no Nigerian player on the list.

Former Super Eagles captain Vincent Enyema and the new captain Ahmed Musa, who were on the 37-man list, dropped off when CAF released the top-10 names on Monday. The stark implication is that a Nigerian cannot win the most prestigious individual award for African players across the world.

Another former Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu, who was voted the African Player of the Year in 1999, stands as the last Nigerian to have won the title. Since then, the best Nigerians have achieved is finishing within the top three. Mikel Obi was the runner-up to Yaya Toure in 2013.

FEDERAL HIGH COURT ORDERS THE RELEASE OF DASUKI'S TRAVEL DOCUMENTS.

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the release of international passport of the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col.  Sambo Dasuki‎ (SAN), to enable him travel to London, the United Kingdom, for three weeks on health grounds.

Dasuki is facing five counts of illegal arms possession and money laundering involving about N84.6m, but the prosecution said on Monday that there was possibility of preferring additional charges against him.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, while granting Dasuki’s request for his passport in a ruling on Tuesday, dismissed the objection by the Federal Government which argued among other grounds that the cancer ailment which the  ex-NSA‎ sought to treat abroad could be treated in Nigeria.

NIGERIAN BANKS BLOCK 5 MILLION BANKS ACCOUNTS AS A RESULT OF BVN EXERCISE.

At least five million bank accounts were deactivated by Deposit Money Banks operating in the country on Saturday night following the October 31, 2015 deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria for bank customers to register and obtain their Bank Verification Numbers, findings by our correspondents showed on Monday.

The affected customers were, among other things, barred from withdrawing cash and transferring funds through Automated Teller Machines, Internet banking platforms and over-the-counter in the banking halls.

The development created chaos in the banking halls across the country on Monday as angry customers besieged several branches to get their suspended accounts reactivated.

CUSTOMS APPOINTS SIX ACTING DEPUTY COMPTROLLER GENERAL AFTER 35 SENIOR OFFICIALS WERE RETIRED LAST WEEK.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) has approved the appointment of Six (6) acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs in the on-going re-organisation in the Service. The appointments come after 35 other top executives were retired last week.

A statement by Nigeria Custom's spokesperson, Wale Adeniyi, said the six (6) Officers, who are of the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General, will occupy the positions of Deputy-Comptrollers-General in acting capacity. Those appointed are:

JUMOKE OGUNDARE APPOINTED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF ARM.

Former Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Asset & Resource Management Company Ltd, ARM, Jumoke Ogundare, has been appointed as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ARM.

Ogundare replaces Deji Alli who recently resigned. Alli has led the company as MD/CEO since its inception in 1994.

At a recent board meeting of ARM in Lagos, Chairman of ARM, Felix Ohiwerei announced Jumoke Ogundare, as the company’s new Group CEO.

FG OPPOSES EX NSA DASUKI'S REQUEST FOR FOREIGN TRIP.

The Federal Government on Monday urged a Federal High Court in Abuja not to accede to the request by former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, for the release of his travel documents to enable him travel abroad.

Dasuki, a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army, is standing trial for illegal possession of firearms and money laundering of about N84.6million.

The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Muhammad Diri told the court on Monday that granting Dasuki’s prayer was injurious to the prosecution, who was planning to bring additional money laundering charges against the ex-NSA.

AFENIFERE HAS LOST FOCUS.

PAN-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation Afenifere leader Pa Reuben Fasoranti yesterday parted ways with the group, claiming that its founding fathers’ goals “are being gradually eroded”.

In a letter signed by him, Fasoranti said he could no longer reconcile himself with how the group is drifting.

Fasoranti, who became the group’s leader after the death of Chief Abraham Adesanya, said he has resigned forthwith.

EVA CARNEIRO TO SUE CHELSEA AND JOSE MOURINHO FOR CONSTRUCTIVE DISMISSAL,

José Mourinho is to be the subject of an individual legal claim from the former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro in addition to the action she is bringing against the club for constructive dismissal.

Press Association Sport understands legal papers will be served on Mourinho this week as part of separate but connected claims against him and the club.

It means Mourinho will have to appear in person at an employment tribunal unless the case is settled out of court. Under employment law, an individual can be personally liable for damages if victimisation or discrimination can be proved.

(HIGHLIGHTS) Watford 2 West Ham 0. ODION IGHALO'S BRACE.

WAT 2 W.HAM 0