Court adjourns El-Rufai’s N1bn suit against ICPC until March 25

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned afundamental rights enforcement suit filed by former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai ofKaduna State against Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related OffencesCommission, ICPC, and four others until March 25 for hearing.Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the case to allow partiesin the suit regularise their processes. El-Rufai is demanding N1 billion in damages against ICPC,the Chief Magistrate at the Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja;Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF,named as 1st to 4th respondents respectively. When the case was called, Ubong Akpan, who appeared forEl-Rufai, informed the court that the matter was fixed for hearing. However, he said they had just responded to ICPC’s counteraffidavit but yet to respond to that of the IGP. Abdulsufiano Abubakar, ICPC’s lawyer, and the policecounsel, Ezekiel Rimamsomte, confirmed Akpan’s submission. Justice Abdulmalik consequently adjourned the matter untilMarch 25 for hearing. The judge ordered that the 2nd respondent (Chief Magistrate)and 4th respondent (AGF), who were not represented in court, be issued andserved with hearing notices. The former governor, in an originating motion on noticemarked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, dated and filed February 20 by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN,sought seven reliefs. He prayed the court to declare that the invasion and searchof his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on Feb. 19 atabout 2pm by the ICPC and I-G, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’sfundamental rights . He said that it was a violation to the dignity of the humanperson, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36,and 37 of the Constitution.” He urged the court to declare that “any evidence obtainedpursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissiblein any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach ofconstitutional safeguards.” El-Rufai, therefore, sought an order of injunctionrestraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, ortendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in anyinvestigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him. He sought an order directing the Ist and 3rd respondents(ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’spremises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventorythereof. He also sought an order awarding the sum ofN1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravateddamages, among others. Responding, in its counter affidavit, the ICPC said itreceived a petition against El-Rufai and acting on the petition, it commencedan investigation, leading to the search at his residence. It argued that its operatives acted under a valid searchwarrant issued on Feb. 18 and executed on February 19 between 1:37pm and 3:56pmat 12 Mambilla Street, Asokoro, Abuja. The commission said its officials were accompanied bypersonnel of the Nigeria Police Force, and that the exercise was witnessed byEl-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai. The ICPC, urged the court to dismiss the suit.

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