By Adeyemi David
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the agency of unlawfully invading his Abuja residence.
The suit, filed before a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) court, is challenging 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 counsel, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the warrant “invalid, null and void,” describing it as fundamentally defective.
According to court documents, the former governor argued that the warrant was vague, overly broad and lacked specificity.
He further contended that it contained significant drafting errors and failed to establish probable cause, thereby rendering the search unconstitutional.
El-Rufai maintained that the operation violated his right to privacy as guaranteed under Section 37 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended), which protects citizens against unlawful intrusion.
In addition to seeking N1 billion in damages, he is urging the court to rule that any evidence obtained during the search be declared inadmissible in any future proceedings, on the grounds that it was allegedly procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.
The former governor is also seeking 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 yet to issue an official response to the lawsuit.
