For the people of Ikot Ebidang in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, sleep has been murdered following the oil and gas exploration activities in their community.

Aside from the smell of the noxious gas discharge that hits anyone who enters the community, the tumultuous sounds from the gas flare sites have sacked some residents and rendered those who do not have alternative homes sleepless.

Ikot Ebidang, host to the Oil and Gas company, Natural Oilfield Service (Sterling Global) has raised the alarm over destruction of their environment, poor crop yield and poor health outcomes through fossil fuel extraction.

One thing remarkable in the sleepy community is the preponderance of darkened and corroded rooftops due to combustion residues from the flare stack.

Speaking during a dialogue on renewable energy, the people decried the destruction of aquatic ecosystems, farm crops, as well as heat and skin rashes which have become very common.

One of the community stakeholders narrated, “We have lost a lot of people in our community, our health is in danger.

“If you are coming into the community, you will be perceiving the gas not to talk of those living around the site. This is not just natural global warming but community burning.

“The soil nutrient is reducing and the gas flare has altered aquatic life. Our forest and rivers are polluted. I don’t know if it’s at the expense of one man or two who wants to do business, we are dying, we need help.

“If you stay here till around 7- 8 pm when everywhere is quiet, the sound alone is like an earthquake, people are afraid of what will happen next.”

Meanwhile, the operating company did not sneak into the community to begin its activities, there must be a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them, the government and the community.

To this end, people of Ikot Ebidang have called for the renegotiation of the MoU granting the company access to their community to adequately address concerns around pollution and environmental harm.

In a communique, the people called on the Akwa Ibom government to halt fossil fuel extraction activities, and the operating company to pipe associated gas away from residential areas rather than flaring within the community.

“Continued flaring within the community worsens health outcomes, environmental degradation, and community vulnerability.

“The community must be compensated for livelihood losses and damages resulting from oil extraction, alongside the provision of adequate health facilities to help residents cope with ongoing impacts,” the communique added.

Gasflaring is illegal – Expert

According to an environmental expert, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, who is also the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation, (HOMEF), one of the facilitators of the dialogue, gas flaring remains illegal and a violation of human rights in Nigeria, especially when done where people are living.

He stated that every community in the Niger Delta has serious environmental problems, noting that from the complaints of the people of Ikot Ebidang, they have surface knowledge of the implication and life threatening effects of gas flare.

His words, “Gasflare problem is central because of its implication to human health, environmental health.

“In-fact they have not started experiencing the serious problem of gasflare, not just about noise, heat or rashes which they have largely complained of, if it continues this way, they risk reproductive problems, cancers, blood disorders and so many problems associated with gas flaring. I think people actually have a very surface understanding of what is coming.”

He promised to help the community get environmental justice and achieve their demands.

Document Evidence of Negative Impacts – Community told

Meanwhile, the community has been told to document in real time all evidence of negative impacts of gas flare and oil spill they have witnessed.

Umo Isua-Ikoh of the Peace Point Development Foundation, PPDF, also one of the dialogue facilitators, and Edem Edem, the immediate past African representative of Climate Investment Fund of the World Bank, Washington DC, in their joint presentation, harped on the need to have evidence in case either of the parties wants to institute a legal action.

“In environmental monitoring, we are looking at how you can have a good evidence should you be taken to court or you want to go to court, so you must have something the court must accept such as a real time evidence for instance if there is an oil spill, you must have a picture of the spill with GPS camera so that location will be captured.

“You can also take samples with a container, cork and label so that by the time we present it to NODSRA for testing, the test will be able to detect the asset owner.

“The community should also be able to have a picture of how the community was and how it is today. Not only for the court, also for posterity.

“For us as environmentalists, we want to see how we can encourage the communities to take monitoring and evidence documentation seriously because this will enable them to observe changes in their community.

“They can also equally begin to engage themselves to find lasting solutions to their issues,” they stated.

They also noted that communities must be compensated for livelihood losses and damages resulting from oil extraction, alongside the provision of adequate health facilities to help residents cope with ongoing impacts.

“The government must prioritise the wellbeing of communities such as Ikot Ebidang rather than sacrificing them in efforts to increase oil production to 3 million barrels per day.

“The community should be supported to train and deploy environmental advocates who can centre and champion community interests and environmental perspectives.

“The company should provide renewable energy solutions to help address energy poverty while mitigating the impacts of extractive activities on the community.

“The government must ensure routine environmental monitoring and regular air quality inspections to safeguard community health and environmental integrity,” they concluded.

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

El-Rufai was moved to the ICPC headquarter in Abuja after spending 48 hours at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he had earlier been granted bail.

There were initial reports that he had been arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), which also filed criminal charges against him. However, the ICPC later clarified that the former governor is in its custody.

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, ICPC spokesperson J. Okor Odey confirmed the development.

“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) writes to state that Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna state is in our custody as at close of work today Wednesday the 18th day of February, 2026. Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the Commission in connection with investigations,” the statement read.

The commission did not disclose details of the investigation.

The DSS had earlier filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026.

The charges followed comments he made during an interview on ARISE Television.

During the programme, El-Rufai alleged that the ICPC, acting on the orders of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had directed the DSS to arrest him. When asked how he got the information, El-Rufai said someone had tapped Ribadu’s phone and that he heard what the NSA said.

Based on that claim, the DSS accused him of unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, an offence it said violates the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

In one of the counts, prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai admitted during the interview that he and others “unlawfully intercepted the phone communications” of Ribadu.

Another count claimed he acknowledged knowing someone who carried out the interception but failed to report the individual to security agencies.

The charges also accused him and others still at large of using technical equipment to intercept communications in a manner that compromised public safety and national security.

El-Rufai, who served as governor of Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, has also faced separate allegations of financial misconduct.

In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly indicted him over the alleged diversion of N423 billion and money laundering, and asked anti-graft agencies to investigate him.

He denied the allegations and later sued the Assembly, accusing it of attempting to damage his reputation.

Lagos State Government has faulted the blockage of traffic along the CMS–Lekki–Epe Expressway by some mini-bus operators, popularly known as korope, describing the action as a breach of earlier agreements reached with transport unions.

In a statement issued by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, the government said the disruption occurred on Tuesday, February 17, and Wednesday, February 18, 2026, despite extensive consultations with key stakeholders.

According to the statement, the government had engaged the two major transport unions, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), before rolling out reforms for the Lekki–Epe corridor.

Speaking on behalf of the government, the Special Adviser on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa, said the actions of the protesting operators undermine the Bus Reform Initiative (BRI), a programme designed to improve transportation services along the busy axis.

“Such disruptions go against the agreements we made with the unions.

“The government has worked closely with all stakeholders to provide safe and efficient transportation for Lagos residents. We strongly encourage all operators to comply with the reform in the interest of commuters and the state,” Giwa said.

The Bus Reform Initiative, which was first discussed in 2024, is aimed at restructuring public transportation on major routes. The plan includes deploying high-capacity buses, relocating korope and mini-buses to inner arterial roads, introducing e-ticketing, regulating bus operations, and strengthening security along the corridor.

At a stakeholders’ meeting held on June 27, 2024, a formal agreement was endorsed by Giwa, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, and the state leadership of NURTW and RTEAN. The meeting outlined the framework for the reform and stressed the importance of cooperation among all parties.

A follow-up meeting on December 2, 2025, fixed December 8, 2025, as the official commencement date of the reform. The first phase covers four major routes: Ajah–CMS (Marina)/Obalende, Ajah–Oshodi, Ajah–Berger, and Ajah–Iyana Ipaja.

Under the arrangement, one operator provides express services, while others run regular stopping services along the corridor.

All buses participating in the scheme are painted in the standard Lagos State blue-and-white colour scheme. They are fitted with QR codes embedded in PTCS stickers for verification, unique identification numbers, and Touch and Pay (TAP) stickers. Drivers are also required to display official Ministry of Transportation badges to promote accountability and boost commuter confidence.

Giwa reiterated the government’s commitment to formalising transport operations, improving commuter comfort, enhancing safety, and maintaining fare stability across the state.

“The success of this initiative depends on the cooperation of all transport operators.

“The state remains determined to protect commuters’ interests and ensure that Lagos continues to operate as a safe and efficient transport city,” he said.

The State Government added that it will continue engagement with stakeholders while strictly enforcing the Bus Reform Initiative, warning that non-compliance will not be tolerated.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, over the controversial passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by the National Assembly

Reacting to the development on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of undermining Nigeria’s democracy.

In a post shared via his X handle, Abdullahi said the level of impunity displayed by the ruling party was troubling, warning that it should not be allowed to become “the death of our democracy.”

He alleged that despite having almost all state governors under its control, the APC was still apprehensive about conducting a free and fair election.

According to him, Nigerians would resist any form of tyranny, adding that the country had experienced similar situations in the past.

He said: “With this level of impunity, we pray that the APC does not become the death of our democracy.

“Almost all the governors are in their party, yet they are afraid of a free and fair election. But Nigerians will never surrender to tyranny. We have seen this before.”

The National Working Committee, NWC, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has officially inaugurated a Caretaker Committee to steer the affairs of the party in Abia State.

Speaking at the event, the Vice Chairman of PDP, Southeast, Ali Odefa, charged the newly inaugurated committee to “keep the flag flying” and resist what he described as internal and external forces allegedly working to destabilize the party.

Odefa alleged that for over a year, the party had faced “anti-democratic forces” determined to weaken its structures. According to him, ongoing legal disputes over the party’s leadership have now been consolidated at the Court of Appeal, with judgment reserved.

He described the newly appointed chairman of the Abia Caretaker Committee, Mr. Ikpegbu Emeka-Yello, as experienced, fearless, and capable of navigating what he admitted would not be an easy assignment.

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Ikpegbu Emeka-Yellow described the appointment as “a call to service, sacrifice and selfless leadership”

He acknowledged that the PDP in Abia had suffered a serious leadership crisis in recent years, weakening its structures and morale but emphasized reconciliation as the central mission of the caretaker committee.

However, the Nyesom Wike-backed faction of the PDP in Abia has described the committee as illegal.