EL-RUFAI SUES ICPC, OFFICIALS OVER N1BN CLAIM LINKED TO UNLAWFUL HOUSE SEARCH
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By: Fasasi Hammad
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and others, alleging an unlawful search of his Abuja residence.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks a declaration that the search warrant used to enter his home was invalid.
El-Rufai described the warrant as “null and void due to lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause.”
According to the former governor, ICPC and Nigeria Police officers conducted the search at his residence on No. 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19 around 2 p.m. He argued that the operation violated his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy.
He is requesting the court to rule that any evidence obtained during the search cannot be used against him in any investigation or trial, as it was gathered unlawfully.
El-Rufai is also seeking an order compelling the ICPC and the Inspector-General of Police to immediately return all items seized from his home, along with a detailed inventory.
In addition, he is demanding N1 billion in damages, broken down as follows:
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N300 million for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security
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N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies
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N300 million as aggravated damages for the “malicious, high-handed, and oppressive nature” of the operation
He is also seeking N100 million to cover legal costs.
El-Rufai’s lawyer argued that the warrant contained errors in the address, date, and district details and failed to specify the items to be seized, making the search illegal under the law. The lawyer emphasized that “evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible.”
An affidavit from a senior aide to El-Rufai stated that officers conducted the search without lawful authority, seized personal documents and electronic devices, and caused humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.
The court has yet to schedule a hearing date for the case.
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