RismadarVoice Reporters, August 17, 2026
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has instituted a fresh N10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging that his family members have been prevented from visiting him while he was in custody.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, seeks to enforce what El-Rufai says are his fundamental rights during his detention.
In the case filed through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, El-Rufai alleged that ICPC officials barred his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from having access to him.
He listed the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as co-defendants.
The former governor is asking the court to affirm that his constitutional rights remain protected despite his detention. He argued that preventing his family from visiting him, particularly when they sought to bring food, medication and other essential items, amounted to an unlawful violation of his rights.
El-Rufai further alleged that ICPC officials physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son during an incident on July 7. He described the alleged action as an unjustified interference with his family relationships.
He is asking the court to declare the continued restriction on family visits, in the absence of lawful authority, unconstitutional and invalid.
He is also seeking an order directing the ICPC to provide him with reasonable and unhindered access to his family members and legal representatives throughout his detention, in line with an earlier order of the Federal High Court.
According to the former governor, the restrictions have subjected him to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety and psychological distress.
He also accused the anti-corruption agency of acting arbitrarily and unlawfully, allegedly in breach of Sections 34, 37 and 46 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that the former governor was being detained at the ICPC office in Abuja.
Shaba said El-Rufai’s wife had routinely provided him with food, clothing, medication and other necessities required for his wellbeing while in custody.
He also cited an earlier order issued by Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna, which directed the ICPC to permit access to lawyers and personal doctors when necessary.
According to Shaba, the order underscored that detainees should not be held incommunicado and that the conditions of El-Rufai’s detention remain subject to judicial oversight.
