EL-RUFAI DRAGS ICPC TO COURT OVER ₦1BN ABUJA HOME RAID

 EL-RUFAI DRAGS ICPC TO COURT OVER ₦1BN ABUJA HOME RAID

El-Rufai Drags ICPC, Police To Court, Demands N1bn Over Alleged Illegal Home Raid

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted a N1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other parties, alleging an unlawful search of his Abuja residence.

The suit, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenges the legality of the search warrant used to access his home. 

El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the warrant invalid, describing it as “null and void” due to alleged lack of particularity, drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause.

According to court documents, operatives of the ICPC, accompanied by officers of the Nigeria Police, searched his residence at No. 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19 at about 2 p.m.

The former governor contends that the operation violated his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy. 

He is seeking a declaration that any evidence obtained during the search is inadmissible in any investigation or trial on grounds that it was unlawfully procured.

El-Rufai is also requesting an order directing the ICPC and the Inspector-General of Police to return all items allegedly seized from his residence, along with a comprehensive inventory of the items.

The N1 billion damages sought include N300 million for alleged psychological trauma and emotional distress, N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies, and N300 million as aggravated damages for what he described as the “malicious, high-handed and oppressive” nature of the operation. 

He is further asking for N100 million to cover legal costs.

His counsel argued that the search warrant failed to clearly specify the items to be seized and reportedly contained errors relating to the address, date, and district details, thereby rendering the search unlawful. 

The lawyer maintained that evidence obtained without a valid warrant is inadmissible in law.

In a supporting affidavit, a senior aide to El-Rufai alleged that officers conducted the search without lawful authority, seized personal documents and electronic devices, and caused humiliation and distress.