Former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai files N1bn suit against ICPC over alleged unlawful search of his Abuja home

Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has filed a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Nigeria Police, and others, over what he describes as the unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.

Also read: ICPC Searches Nasir El-Rufai’s Residence Amid Probe

The suit, lodged before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, seeks a declaration that the search warrant used to enter his home at No. 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, on 19 February at around 2 p.m., was invalid.

El-Rufai, who also served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, argued that the warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, over-breadth and absence of probable cause.”

The former governor is requesting that the court declare any evidence obtained during the operation inadmissible in any investigation or trial. He is also demanding the immediate return of all items seized by officers, along with a detailed inventory.

Court documents show that el-Rufai is seeking N300 million for psychological trauma and emotional distress, N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement, N300 million for aggravated damages citing the “malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the operation,” and N100 million to cover legal costs.

His legal team emphasised that the warrant contained errors in the address, date, and district details, and did not specify which items were to be seized, rendering the search unlawful.

A senior aide to el-Rufai further detailed that officers seized personal documents and electronic devices, causing humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.

Also read: EFCC Detains El-Rufai after Honouring Invitation

The Federal High Court has yet to schedule a hearing date for the case, which has already attracted attention as a significant challenge to law enforcement conduct in the capital.