Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over what he described as an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on February 20 by his lawyer, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), challenges a search warrant issued on February 4 by a Chief Magistrate of the FCT Magistrates’ Court.
El-Rufai is seeking a court declaration that the warrant is invalid, null, and void.
El-Rufai claims the warrant was defective, citing vague descriptions, drafting errors, overbroad directives, and absence of probable cause.
He argues that the February 19 search violated his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.
The former governor is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that the search at his residence on Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, was unlawful, a court order barring the ICPC and police from using seized items in any proceedings, and the immediate return of all seized property with a detailed inventory.
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El-Rufai is also demanding N1 billion in damages, broken down as N300 million for psychological trauma, N400 million as exemplary damages, and N300 million for aggravated damages, along with N100 million for legal costs.
According to Iyamu, the warrant violated provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and the ICPC Act 2000, failing to meet procedural requirements.
Affidavits filed in support allege that officers seized personal documents and electronic devices, causing humiliation, distress, and reputational harm.
El-Rufai’s legal team maintains that the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally, and any evidence obtained during the search should be declared inadmissible.
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