Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has taken legal action against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over what he described as an unlawful search of his home in Abuja.
In a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed before the Federal High Court, the former governor is asking for N1 billion in damages.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, also lists the Chief Magistrate of the FCT Magistrate Court, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents.
The suit was filed on February 20 by his legal team led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN. El-Rufai is challenging a search warrant said to have been issued on February 4 by a magistrate in the Federal Capital Territory. He wants the court to declare the warrant invalid and of no effect.
According to the court papers, security operatives from the anti-corruption agency and the Nigeria Police Force entered his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19 around 2 p.m. The operation was carried out based on the warrant he is now disputing.
He argued that the warrant lacked clear details about the items to be seized and contained errors in its drafting. He also claimed that it did not show proper grounds for suspicion as required by law. He maintained that the document failed to properly describe the property to be searched and the items being sought, making it too broad.
El-Rufai further contended that the warrant was addressed in a general manner to all officers, which, according to him, did not limit who could carry out the search. He also pointed to contradictions in the language used in the document, which he said created confusion about how and when it could be executed.
He is asking the court to declare that the search of his residence breached his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy as provided under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
The former governor also wants the court to rule that any material or evidence obtained during the search should not be used in any investigation or court process against him because it was gathered through what he described as an unlawful action.
In addition, he is seeking an order directing the anti-corruption agency and the police to return all items taken from his residence, along with a full list of those items.
He is also asking for an injunction to stop the authorities from using or relying on any of the seized materials in any case involving him.
Out of the N1 billion being demanded, El-Rufai broke down the amount into different categories. He is asking for N300 million as compensation for emotional distress and loss of personal security.
He also requested N400 million as exemplary damages to discourage what he described as misconduct by law enforcement agencies. Another N300 million is being sought as aggravated damages due to the manner in which the search was carried out. He further asked for N100 million to cover legal costs and expenses related to the case.
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