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Senate Confirms Senator Barinada Mpigi’s Death, Observes Minute Silence For The Deceased.
The Nigerian Senate was thrown into mourning on Thursday following the death of the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District, Barinada Mpigi.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
A source within the National Assembly disclosed that the 64-year-old senator passed away after a brief illness.
Until his death, Mpigi served in the 10th Senate as Chairman of the Committee on Works, one of the chamber’s key committees responsible for overseeing federal road infrastructure and related projects across the country.
He began his legislative career in the House of Representatives, where he was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016. In 2019, he advanced to the Senate after winning election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to represent Rivers South-East.
During the 9th Assembly, Mpigi chaired a joint Senate committee established to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, a critical assignment at a time of declining oil revenues and widespread pipeline vandalism.
News of his passing reached lawmakers during Thursday’s plenary, casting a sombre mood over proceedings, including ongoing budget defence sessions.
While speaking at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, the lawmaker representing Nasarawa South, Mohammed Onawo, paid tribute to the late senator and urged colleagues to honour his memory. Lawmakers subsequently observed a minute’s silence in his honour.
“May his gentle soul rest in peace,” Onawo said.
Members of the House of Representatives also expressed their condolences. Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, shared a tribute on his official account, writing: “Good night, my dear friend. Rest in peace, Senator Mpigi Barinada. He represented Rivers South East in the Senate.”
Mpigi’s death comes just three months after the passing of the senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Okey Ezea. At the time, his family clarified that he died at a private hospital in Lagos at about 11:07 p.m. following a brief illness, dismissing earlier reports that he passed away overseas.
With Mpigi’s demise, the Senate has once again lost a serving member, raising concerns over the number of deaths recorded in the current Assembly.
The 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) began nationwide on Thursday, with over 2.2 million candidates expected to participate across accredited centres.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The exam, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), will run from April 16 to April 22 in multiple daily sessions.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, urged examination officials to remain highly committed and professional, noting that the success of the exercise depends largely on their dedication.
He gave the charge during a virtual final briefing for technical officers ahead of the examination, where he also praised staff, ad hoc personnel, service providers, and technical advisers for their roles in the successful conduct of the mock exam.
Oloyede said many of the issues recorded during the mock exercise were due to poor assessment of centres by some technical officials.
He further stated that incentive packages would be awarded to teams that perform exceptionally, particularly in handling exam materials and submitting timely reports.
Reiterating JAMB’s zero-tolerance stance on malpractice, he warned candidates against bringing prohibited items into examination halls.
He also disclosed that biometric verification and real-time monitoring systems have been deployed to protect the integrity of the exercise.
Candidates whose biometrics cannot be verified, he added, will be rescheduled to write the exam at approved centres.
Meanwhile, a NAN correspondent monitoring proceedings at Aduvie International School, Jahi, reported that the first session scheduled for 8:30 a.m. began slightly behind schedule at about 8:40 a.m.
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, on Thursday inspected security deployments at Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across Abuja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
According to the FCT Police Command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, the inspection is part of proactive measures to ensure a smooth, peaceful, and hitch-free conduct of the ongoing examinations.
The UTME is scheduled to run nationwide from April 16 to 18, 2026.
During the exercise, CP Sanusi assessed security arrangements put in place to safeguard candidates, examination officials, and CBT facilities.
He also engaged with centre supervisors, assuring them of adequate security presence throughout the examination period.
Adeh added that the CP reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order, warning that any attempt to disrupt the examinations would be met with decisive action in line with the law.
Over 700 former terrorists who have undergone deradicalisation and rehabilitation are set to be reintegrated into their communities.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The Nigerian military has also dismissed reports alleging that beneficiaries of Operation Safe Corridor are being recruited into military institutions.
According to African Independent Television, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brigadier-General Yusuf Ali, made this known during a media tour of the Deradicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Centre in Gombe, North-East Nigeria.
He said many Nigerians still misunderstand the Federal Government’s structured counter-terrorism initiative, which is designed to restore peace in communities affected by insurgency.
Brigadier-General Ali explained that the programme focuses on rehabilitation and peaceful reintegration of repentant individuals into society.
During the tour, some of the participants also shared accounts of their involvement in offences that led to their admission into the programme.
The facility inspection was part of preparations for the graduation of over 700 clients who have completed the deradicalisation and rehabilitation process and are set for reintegration.
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