Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has initiated a N10 billion fundamental human rights suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Through his legal counsel, Ubong Akpan, El-Rufai claims that anti-graft officials infringed upon his constitutional rights by blocking his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him in custody. The lawsuit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, lists the ICPC, its Chairman, and the Attorney General of the Federation as respondents.
El-Rufai asserts that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his family members during an attempted visit on July 7. He argues that restricting access to essential supplies—such as food and medication—constitutes an unlawful intrusion into his family life, inflicting significant emotional distress and psychological trauma.
Consequently, he is requesting a judicial declaration that the commission’s actions violate both the amended 1999 Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, alongside a formal order granting him continuous access to his legal team and relatives.
This legal action follows an earlier N1 billion suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026) challenging the legality of an ICPC search conducted at his residence under a magistrate’s warrant.
Detained since February, the former governor and former FCT Minister faces several charges across Abuja and Kaduna courts, including alleged involvement in the unauthorized interception of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s phone communications. Although granted conditional bail in Abuja, he remains in ICPC custody per orders from a Kaduna court, which explicitly specified that family, medical, and legal visits be permitted.
