NIGERIA: El-Rufai Files N1 Billion Fundamental Rights Suit Against ICPC Over Alleged Unlawful Raid On Abuja Residence

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the validity of a search warrant used in the invasion of his residence.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026 filed on February 20 by his counsel Oluwole Iyamu SAN El-Rufai named the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission as the first respondent the Chief Magistrate of the FCT Magistrates’ Court Abuja Magisterial District as the second the Inspector-General of Police as the third and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the fourth respondent.

The action stems from a search conducted at his home House 12 Mambilla Street Aso Drive Abuja on February 19 around 2 p.m. by ICPC operatives and Nigeria Police Force personnel under a warrant allegedly issued on February 4.

El-Rufai is seeking seven reliefs including a declaration that the invasion and search violated his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person personal liberty fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34 35 36 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

He urged the court to declare that any evidence obtained during the search is inadmissible in any proceedings against him due to breaches of constitutional safeguards.

Among other prayers he requested an order restraining the respondents from relying on or tendering seized items in any investigation or prosecution an order directing the ICPC and Inspector-General of Police to return all seized items with a detailed inventory and N100 million as costs of the suit covering legal fees and expenses.

The former governor is demanding N1 billion in damages broken down into N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma and emotional distress N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and N300 million as aggravated damages for the alleged malicious high-handed and oppressive nature of the operation. In his grounds of argument Iyamu contended that the warrant was defective due to lack of specificity in items to be seized material typographical errors ambiguous execution terms overbroad directives and absence of probable cause contravening Sections 143 to 148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 Section 36 of the ICPC Act 2000 and constitutional protections.

An affidavit by Mohammed Shaba a Principal Secretary to El-Rufai stated that the warrant failed to specify items searched for officers did not comply with procedural requirements and the operation caused undue humiliation distress and seizure of personal documents and electronic devices none of which have been returned.

The suit was filed in good faith to enforce c

onstitutional rights.