A yet-to-be-confirmed number of people are feared dead after suspected Lakurawa terrorists carried out attacks on several rural communities in the Arewa Local Government Area on Wednesday.

According to local and security sources, the gunmen stormed villages in the remote border district, opening fire on residents in what survivors described as highly organised and indiscriminate assaults.

Breakdowns from security sources indicate that 16 people were killed in Mamunu, five in Awashaka, three in Masama, while two people each lost their lives in five other affected villages.

The attacks triggered panic, forcing many residents to flee their homes as the assailants stormed homes and shot at civilians.

Security operatives have since been deployed to the area to secure the communities, assist survivors, and block possible escape routes for the attackers. Tracking operations are also ongoing.

Confirming the incident, the Kebbi State Police Public Relations Officer, Bashir Usman, said further details would be provided as investigations continue.

The Senate has been thrown into mourning  following the death of the lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Barinada Mpigi.

According to a national assembly source, Mpigi died on Thursday at the age of 64 after a brief illness.

Until his death, Mpigi represented Rivers South-East in the 10th National Assembly and chaired the influential Committee on Works, which oversees federal road infrastructure and related projects across the country.

Mpigi began his legislative career in the House of Representatives, where he was first elected in 2011 and re-elected in 2016.

He later moved to the Senate in 2019 after winning an election to represent Rivers South-East on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

During the 9th Assembly, he was appointed chairman of a joint Senate committee set up to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region — a critical assignment at a time when the country grappled with declining oil revenues and widespread pipeline vandalism.

News of his death filtered into the Senate chamber during Thursday’s proceedings, casting a sombre mood over lawmakers who had gathered for budget defence sessions.

Speaking during the session of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, the lawmaker representing Nasarawa South in the 10th National Assembly, Senator Mohammed Onawo, paid glowing tribute to the late Rivers senator and urged his colleagues to honour his memory.

Lawmakers were subsequently asked to observe a minute’s silence in his honour.

“May his gentle soul rest in peace,” Ogoshi said.

Tributes also poured in from members of the House of Representatives.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Akin Alabi, paid tribute to the late senator on his official X handle on Thursday.

He wrote, “Good night, my dear friend. Rest in Peace, Senator Mpigi Barinada. Sen Mpigi represented Rivers South East in the Senate”.

Mpigi’s death comes barely three months after the demise of the lawmaker representing Enugu North Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, Senator Okey Ezea.

His family had clarified the circumstances surrounding Ezea’s death at the time, dispelling earlier claims that he died overseas.

In a statement issued from Abuja and signed by his son, Jideofor Ezea, the family confirmed that the senator passed away at a private hospital in Lagos at about 11:07 p.m. on Tuesday after a brief illness.

With Mpigi’s passing, the Senate has once again been confronted with the loss of one of its serving members, deepening concerns over the string of deaths recorded in the current Assembly.

The Rivers State House of Assembly has suspended impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu.

The decision was reached during Thursday’s sitting after the impeachment process became entangled in legal and political challenges, which stalled further action pending the outcome of ongoing court cases and consultations.

Recall that the state assembly members, in January, initiated impeachment proceedings against the governor and his deputy over allegations of gross misconduct.

During the plenary presided over by Speaker Martins Amaewhule, Majority Leader Major Jack presented a notice citing seven allegations against Fubara under Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The accusations included demolishing the Assembly complex, engaging in extra-budgetary spending, withholding funds meant for the Assembly Service Commission and disobeying a Supreme Court ruling on the legislature’s financial autonomy.

Twenty-six lawmakers signed the notice, which was to be forwarded to the governor. Deputy Leader Linda Stewart also submitted allegations against Odu, accusing her of unconstitutional expenditure, obstructing the Assembly’s work, approving budgets through unauthorised channels and withholding salaries and allowances.

The impeachment push, which began in early January 2026, soon encountered judicial obstacles.

Rivers State Chief Judge, Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, declined the Assembly’s request to constitute the constitutionally required seven-member investigative panel, citing a subsisting interim injunction issued by the Rivers State High Court.

The restraining order, granted on January 16, 2026, by Justice Florence A. Fiberesima, barred the Chief Judge, the Speaker and the Clerk from taking further steps on the impeachment, following suits filed by the governor and his deputy challenging the legality of the process.

Meanwhile, Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also rejected the impeachment process, describing the move as “destabilising and unnecessary.” The move also drew reactions from several political quarters and Nigerians.

Last week, the President reportedly engaged in a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa with Fubara and FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the governor’s political godfather. Fubara was said to have also accompanied Wike to his residence in Guzape, Abuja.

Wike later confirmed the meeting with Fubara and disclosed that it was initiated by the President in a renewed effort to resolve the political crisis in Rivers State.

According to him, the meeting was held on February 9. Wike said the President stepped in to broker peace between the governor and the state lawmakers.

Expressing appreciation for Tinubu’s intervention, Wike voiced optimism that the move would bring lasting peace. He noted that it was the second time the President had intervened in the dispute and expressed “hope it would be the last.”

The talks came shortly after a third impeachment notice was issued against Fubara by lawmakers believed to be loyal to Wike.