By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a major legal offensive against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N1 billion in damages over what he characterizes as an illegal raid on his Abuja home.
In a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, El-Rufai is challenging a search warrant executed on February 19 at his residence on Mambilla Street, Aso Drive. His legal team, led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, contends that the warrant originally issued on February 4 by an FCT Chief Magistrate was riddled with drafting errors, lacked specificity, and operated under ambiguous and overly broad parameters.
The suit argues that these defects rendered the operation unconstitutional and a direct breach of the right to privacy guaranteed under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
The legal action, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, joins the ICPC alongside the Chief Magistrate of the FCT, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
El-Rufai is seeking seven distinct reliefs, including a court order declaring any evidence seized during the raid inadmissible and compelling the immediate return of all personal documents and electronic devices.
The N1 billion claim is broken down into N300 million for emotional distress and loss of personal security, N400 million in exemplary damages to deter future law enforcement misconduct, and N300 million in aggravated damages for oppressive conduct.
An additional N100 million is sought for legal expenses. An affidavit filed by El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, further alleges that the search caused significant humiliation and that officers failed to follow procedural requirements, leaving the former governor’s team without a clear inventory of seized items.
A hearing date for the suit is expected to be fixed shortly.