Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted a fresh ₦10 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged gross violations of his constitutional rights while in custody.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026 and filed on August 13, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja through his legal counsel, Ubong Akpan, accuses the anti-graft agency of systematically denying him access to essential provisions, medical supplies, and visits from his immediate family.
Joined as second and third defendants in the suit are the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
This information was disclosed to the media when court documents filed by Nasir El-Rufai’s legal team were first sighted by major press agencies on Sunday, August 16, 2026
According to a supporting affidavit deposed by El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, based on details provided by the ex-governor’s wife, Mrs. Aichatou Asabe, ICPC officials have repeatedly blocked both his wife and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him at the commission’s Abuja facility.
The legal team specifically cited a confrontation on July 7, 2026, where anti-graft officers allegedly physically restrained, harassed, and intimidated Asabe and Abba as they attempted to deliver food and vital medication to the detainee.
In the sworn statement, Shaba emphasized that Mrs. Asabe has been personally responsible for providing her husband with food, clothing, medication, and essential care necessary for his health and well-being during his period in custody.
The defense maintains that these restrictions directly violate Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which guarantee the Right to Dignity of Human Person and the Right to Private and Family Life, alongside Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The application further contends that the actions of the ICPC run contrary to a prior judicial order issued on April 1, 2026, by Justice R.M. of the Federal High Court, Kaduna Judicial Division, under charge number FHC/KD/73C/2025, which explicitly instructed the agency to grant El-Rufai unhindered and reasonable access to his family and legal representatives throughout his detention.
El-Rufai is seeking nine explicit reliefs from the court, including a formal declaration that his fundamental human rights remain enforceable despite his detention, a declaration that the physical restraint meted out to his family was unlawful and unconstitutional, an order mandating immediate access for his relatives and attorneys, and ₦10 billion in exemplary damages for the severe emotional trauma, humiliation, and unlawful denial of family contact.
Spokespersons for the ICPC and the Ministry of Justice have not issued an official statement regarding the lawsuit, and a hearing date at the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to be slated shortly.
