Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a fresh 10 billion naira fundamental rights suit against Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging he was repeatedly denied access to his wife and son while in detention.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13 and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, names the ICPC, its chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as defendants. El-Rufai, represented by lawyer Ubong Akpan, alleged that ICPC officials repeatedly barred his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him, including to bring food and medication.
He further alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7, which he described as an unlawful interference with his family and spousal relationships.
Among nine reliefs sought, El-Rufai is asking the court to declare that his constitutional rights under Part IV of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution remain enforceable despite his detention, and that the denial of family access without a court order is unconstitutional. He is also seeking an order granting him “unhindered and reasonable access” to his family and legal counsel throughout his detention, as previously directed by the Federal High Court, and says the restrictions have caused him humiliation and psychological distress.
The suit is the latest in a series of legal actions El-Rufai has brought against the ICPC since it began investigating him, including a separate 1 billion naira suit filed in February over a search of his Abuja residence.
