El-Rufai Slams ICPC with N10bn Suit Over Family Access Denial

​Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has initiated a fresh legal battle against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), lodging a N10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

​The action, marked as FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026 and filed by his counsel Ubong Akpan, stems from allegations that the anti-corruption agency has systematically blocked his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him in custody, thereby flouting an existing court directive.

​Core Contentions and Legal Reliefs

​Joined alongside the ICPC are the commission’s Chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the second and third defendants, respectively. El-Rufai is pressing the court for nine major reliefs, anchored on the argument that his constitutional rights remain intact despite his ongoing detention.

ADVERTISEMENT

​Key highlights of the application include:

• ​Denial of Essentials: The suit claims that blocking family visits cut off crucial provisions, leaving him without access to regular meals, necessary medication, and personal care items.

• ​Intimidation Claims: Detailing an incident on July 7, the legal papers allege that ICPC operatives physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son, a move described as arbitrary interference with his private and family life.

• ​Constitutional Infractions: The former governor maintains that the actions violate Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) alongside Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

​Preexisting Judicial Orders

​According to an affidavit deposed by El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Kaduna Division of the Federal High Court had previously ruled on April 1 that the legal team and family members must be granted unhindered access to detainees. The court papers stress that holding detainees incommunicado runs contrary to established legal principles and judicial oversight.

​This legal action compounds a series of prior legal tussles between the former governor and the commission, following earlier disputes concerning asset investigations and search warrants executed at his Abuja residence.