RismadarVoice Reporters
October 19, 2026
The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has dismissed a ₦120 million fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against the Department of State Services (DSS) and three other respondents.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji delivered the judgment on Monday, October 19, ruling that the former governor had failed to establish sufficient grounds for the reliefs sought.
The court also awarded costs of ₦200,000 against El-Rufai in favour of each respondent, bringing the total financial award to ₦800,000.
The other respondents were the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The suit challenged actions taken by security and anti-corruption agencies, including invitations for questioning, an alleged attempt to arrest El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the seizure of his international passport.
In his judgment, Justice Oriji held that invitations issued by the EFCC and ICPC in connection with investigations into allegations against the former governor did not, by themselves, constitute violations of his fundamental rights.
Regarding the alleged airport arrest attempt, the judge accepted the DSS’s position that it possessed statutory powers to monitor persons of interest and carry out arrests in accordance with its responsibilities.
The court also rejected El-Rufai’s argument that the absence of an arrest warrant automatically rendered the attempted arrest unlawful.
On the seizure of his international passport, Justice Oriji ruled that the former governor had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that the action amounted to an unlawful or continuing infringement of his rights.
The court consequently dismissed the suit in its entirety and ordered El-Rufai to pay the awarded costs to the four respondents.
The judgment addresses the legality of the agencies’ actions challenged in the fundamental rights proceedings.
It does not amount to a determination of El-Rufai’s guilt or innocence concerning any underlying allegations being investigated by the security or anti-corruption agencies.
The former governor’s next legal steps, including whether he intends to challenge the judgment on appeal, were not immediately established.
