El-Rufai Demands N10bn From ICPC, Accuses Agency of Blocking Wife, Son

ABUJA — Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has taken fresh legal action against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N10 billion in damages over alleged violations of his fundamental rights.

El-Rufai, who remains in detention, filed the suit, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, before the Federal High Court in Abuja. He alleged that the anti-corruption agency repeatedly denied his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, access to him.

In the suit, the former governor asked the court to rule that the refusal to allow his family to see him, including for the purpose of bringing him food, medication and other essential items, was unlawful in the absence of a valid court order or other legal justification.

He argued that the alleged restrictions breached his fundamental rights guaranteed under Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

El-Rufai, represented by his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, further alleged that ICPC officials physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7.

He described the alleged conduct as an arbitrary disruption of his relationship with his wife and son and asked the court to declare the continued denial of family access “unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.”

Named as respondents in the case are the ICPC and its Chairman as the first and second respondents, respectively, while the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is the third respondent.

The former governor is also seeking an order compelling the respondents to give him unhindered and reasonable access to his family and legal counsel throughout his detention, consistent with an earlier directive issued by the Federal High Court.

He maintained that the restriction prevented his wife and son from providing him with food, medication and other necessities and subjected him “to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety and psychological distress.”

El-Rufai further alleged that the respondents acted “arbitrarily, unlawfully and in a manner inconsistent with Sections 34, 37 and 46 of the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”

“The respondents’ conduct amounts to an unjustifiable interference with the applicant’s dignity and family life and is therefore unconstitutional,” he said.

The N10 billion suit comes months after El-Rufai filed another fundamental rights action against the ICPC, this time seeking N1 billion over an alleged unlawful search of his Abuja residence.

In that case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, he challenged the validity of a search warrant issued by an Abuja Chief Magistrate and used by the ICPC to search his home.

El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, previously served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

He is facing several charges before courts in Abuja and Kaduna, including an allegation of complicity in the unlawful interception of phone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

While an Abuja court granted him bail under stringent conditions, a Kaduna court authorised his continued detention in ICPC custody but directed that he be allowed access to his family, lawyer and physician.

Africans Angle News