Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a fresh ₦10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged denial of access to his family while in detention.
El-Rufai, through his lawyer Ubong Akpan, also sued the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation, alleging that his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, were prevented from visiting him.
In the suit filed on August 13, the former governor asked the Federal High Court to declare that his fundamental rights remain protected despite his detention. He argued that repeated denial of family access, particularly for the delivery of food, medication and other necessities, violated his constitutional rights.
El-Rufai also alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7, describing the incident as an unlawful interference with his dignity and private and family life.
He is seeking an order compelling the ICPC to grant him reasonable and unhindered access to his family and legal counsel throughout his detention. He argued that a previous Federal High Court order already permitted access to his lawyers and personal physicians.
An affidavit supporting the case stated that El-Rufai’s wife had regularly visited him and supplied food, clothing, medication and other necessities before July 7 without obstruction. His Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, said the alleged restrictions had subjected the former governor to humiliation, anxiety and psychological distress.
The suit is linked to an existing criminal case against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Kaduna. His legal team maintains that detention does not remove his fundamental rights and that the ICPC remains subject to judicial oversight over his conditions of detention.
