Barr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has declared Friday a work-free day ahead of the February 21 area council elections.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Barinada Mpigi, is dead.

He was 64.

A source confirmed the lawmaker’s demise to Peoples Gazette on Thursday. Details surrounding the circumstances of his death were not immediately disclosed as of the time of filing this report.

Born on June 23, 1961, Mpigi represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the Senate until his passing.

He began his legislative journey in 2011 when he was elected into the House of Representatives. He was subsequently re-elected in 2016 for a second term.

In 2019, he moved to the Senate after winning election to represent Rivers South-East Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

During the Ninth Assembly, Mpigi was appointed chairman of a joint Senate committee established to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region – a development that placed him at the centre of legislative efforts to address oil-related economic sabotage.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, he also played a key role in oversight of federal infrastructure projects across the country.

-NaijaNews

Eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed and 23 others injured following a deadly raid by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State.

According to AFP, security sources disclosed that about 70 insurgents riding on motorcycles attacked a military base at Cross Kauwa village on Monday, leading to a fierce gun battle.

“Eight soldiers paid the supreme price, and 23 others sustained injuries,” a military officer said.

The attackers reportedly mobilized from a camp on Dabar Masara island in Lake Chad before making a long detour to strike the base.

Two Anti-jihadist militia sources supporting the military confirmed the casualty figure, stating that the insurgents overran and set the base ablaze.

The terrorists burnt down the base along with 11 gun trucks and took away the anti-aircraft guns mounted on them,” one militia source said.

All sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment officially.

The base, located about 24 kilometres from the fishing hub of Baga, has served as a key security stronghold shielding the town from insurgent attacks.

The latest assault comes amid a renewed wave of attacks by ISWAP and rival extremist group Boko Haram across the North-East.

According to the military, jihadists attacked two other bases in Borno over the weekend.

Late Saturday, ISWAP fighters stormed a base in Mandaragirau near the Sambisa forest enclave, killing and injuring an unspecified number of soldiers and militia members.

In a separate incident, Boko Haram militants attacked another base in Pulka near the Cameroon border, destroying military equipment and accommodation before troops repelled the assault with reinforcements.

Jihadist violence in Nigeria’s North-East has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced about two million people since 2009, according to the United Nations.

The insurgency has also spread into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to combat the militants.

However, the coalition has weakened in recent years following Niger’s withdrawal after diplomatic tensions with Nigeria in the wake of the 2023 military coup in that country.

Meanwhile, the United States is deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to Nigerian forces battling insurgent groups.

The United States Africa Command said about 200 personnel are expected to participate in the deployment aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s counter-terrorism capabilities.