El-Rufai sues ICPC over Abuja home raid, seeks N1bn damages

Nasir El-Rufai, former Kaduna State Governor, has filed a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the anti-graft agency of unlawfully invading his Abuja residence.

The suit, lodged before a Federal Capital Territory court, challenges a search warrant allegedly issued on February 4 by a Chief Magistrate in Abuja. The warrant authorised ICPC operatives to search and seize items from the former governor’s home.

Through his legal counsel, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the warrant “invalid, null and void,” arguing that it was fundamentally defective.

According to court filings, the former governor contends that the warrant was vague and overly broad, lacked specificity, and contained significant drafting errors. He further argued that it failed to establish probable cause, rendering the operation unconstitutional.
El-Rufai maintains that the search violated his right to privacy as enshrined under Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), which protects citizens against unlawful intrusion.

In addition to seeking monetary damages, he is urging the court to rule that any evidence obtained during the search is inadmissible in future proceedings, on the grounds that it was allegedly procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.

The former governor is also requesting an injunction restraining the ICPC and its agents from using or presenting any materials seized during the operation in any investigation or prosecution involving him.

As of press time, the ICPC had not issued an official response to the suit.