Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has taken the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to court. He filed a ₦10 billion lawsuit against the ICPC.
El-Rufai claims the ICPC stopped him from seeing his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, while they were in custody. He filed the lawsuit through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, and named the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the second and third defendants.
The originating motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, was filed on 13 August. The document was seen on Sunday by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
El-Rufai, who is in detention, said he was denied access to his family. He is asking the court for nine remedies.
He wants the court to declare that his fundamental human rights, as stated in Part IV of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), must be respected even though he is in detention. He also wants the court to state that the refusal to let him see his family, especially in providing food, medication, and other necessities, is a breach of his rights.
El-Rufai argued that the treatment of his wife and son by ICPC officers on 7 July violated his rights. He claimed that their denial of access to him and the intimidation they faced interfered with his dignity and family life. He believes that this continued denial is unconstitutional and illegal.
He asked the court to order the ICPC to allow him reasonable access to his family and lawyers during his detention, as the Federal High Court previously ordered. El-Rufai pointed out that despite the court’s order, the ICPC still prevented his wife and son from visiting him without good reason.
“This action has subjected the applicant to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety, and psychological distress. The respondents acted unlawfully and in a way that goes against Sections 34, 37, and 46 of the Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
“The respondents’ actions interfere with my dignity and family life and are unconstitutional,” he alleged.
El-Rufai believes he deserves protection and enforcement of his rights under Section 46 of the 1999 Constitution and the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, 2009.
In support of the suit, El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, said it is well known that ICPC is holding El-Rufai at its Abuja office. He mentioned that Asabe, El-Rufai's wife, told him on 12 July that she has been responsible for providing her husband with food, clothing, medication, and other personal needs while he is in custody.
Shaba stated that El-Rufai is the first defendant/applicant in case number: FHC/KD/73C/2025 at the Federal High Court (FHC) in Kaduna, where the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant. He noted that on 1 April, the FHC in Kaduna, led by Justice R. M. Aikawa, ordered the ICPC to allow the defendants access to their lawyers and personal doctors whenever needed.
This order shows that detainees should not be held without contact and that the ICPC must follow judicial rules about detention conditions. Shaba explained that El-Rufai still has rights under the constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, including humane treatment and reasonable access to family.
Before 7 July, Asabe had been visiting her husband regularly and bringing him meals without any problems. This was in line with the ICPC’s visiting rules and El-Rufai’s rights.
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