ABUJA, Nigeria: The former Governor of Nigeria’s Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, filed a 10 billion Naira ($6,250,000) fundamental rights lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026.
Okay News reports that Nasir El-Rufai submitted the legal filing through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, joining the ICPC Chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the second and third defendants in the suit.
The former governor is seeking nine reliefs, alleging that the commission prevented his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him to provide food, medication and other necessities. He alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his family members on July 7, 2026.
In the filing, the applicant asked the court to declare that “the respondents’ continued denial of family access without lawful authority is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.” The suit also requested an order directing the respondents to grant him “unhindered and reasonable access to members of his family and counsel throughout the period of his detention as earlier directed by the Federal High Court.”
A supporting affidavit filed by the former governor’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that Nasir El-Rufai is being detained at the ICPC office in Abuja. Shaba cited a court order issued on April 1, 2026, by Justice R.M. Aikawa, which directed the ICPC to allow access to counsel and personal physicians. “Clearly, this order reflects the settled principle of law that detainees are not to be held incommunicado and that the ICPC is subject to judicial oversight regarding the conditions of detention,” Shaba said.
This filing follows a separate 1 billion Naira ($625,000) fundamental rights suit initiated by the former governor in February 2026 against the ICPC, which challenged the validity of a search warrant executed at his Abuja residence.
