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Alleged Graft: ICPC Confirms Nasir El-rufai’s Arrest After His Release From EFCC Custody PRESS RELEASE  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, Wednesday the 18th day of February, 2026.   Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the  custody of the Commission in connection with investigations.  J. Okor Odey  Head Media and Public Communications /Spokesperson  ICPC

 Guinea-Bissau stops vaccine study funded by Trump administration Guinea-Bissau's foreign minister has said his government has stopped a study funded by the Trump administration aiming to evaluate side effects of the life-saving hepatitis B vaccine, including any links to autism. The West African country, one of the region's poorest, has high rates of hepatitis B, and the prospective study had drawn an outcry from scientists and international health bodies because only half the newborns in the trial would get the vaccine at birth. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said it was not ethical. Guinea-Bissau last month suspended the trial pending an ethical review. Critics had said it was being used to test theories linking vaccines to autism, long promoted by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr but contradicted by scientific evidence. Foreign Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira said in an interview on Tuesday that the study had been closed, citing concer...

 Somali Army Recapture Several Long-Held Al-Shabaab Territories- Defense Minister Towns in the Lower Shabelle region, which have been liberated after 18 years of Islamist control, previously served as strategic hubs used by militants to extort residents, particularly those from Mogadishu, Omar Ali Abdi stated, Sputnik reported. The military success is largely attributed to allied air support. According to experts, drones and airstrikes played a crucial role by exposing militant hideouts and destroying supply depots, which significantly weakened the group's ground capabilities.

 STATEHOUSE PRESS STATEMENT  President Tinubu, German Chancellor Merz to collaborate on security, power President Bola Tinubu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have resolved to improve bilateral relations between their two countries and to strengthen collaboration in the security, power, and railway sectors. In a telephone conversation on Wednesday afternoon, the two leaders also expressed their willingness to cooperate in creative arts and skill development. President Tinubu and the German Chancellor spoke on the Presidential Power Initiative, during which the Nigerian leader indicated that the country would require assistance with power transmission.  The German Chancellor pledged that Siemens would be ready to assist in that regard, while Deutsche Bank would be willing to finance the project. The two leaders also expressed worry over the situation in the Sahel region. President Tinubu called for the supply of used helicopters to help in intelligence reconnaissance i...