Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a fresh ₦10 billion fundamental rights suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged restrictions on his family’s access to him while in detention.
The suit was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with El-Rufai asking the court to declare that his fundamental rights remain enforceable despite his detention by the anti-corruption agency.
El-Rufai is specifically challenging the alleged refusal of the ICPC to allow his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, to visit him at the commission’s detention facility.
In an affidavit filed in support of the case, his Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, said the former governor was being held at the ICPC office in Abuja. Shaba said the information contained in the affidavit was supplied to him by Asabe on July 12.
The former governor is asking the court to award him ₦10 billion in damages over what he described as violations of his fundamental rights.
The latest lawsuit represents another legal challenge by El-Rufai concerning his detention and treatment by authorities. He has previously instituted legal proceedings relating to his detention, as his dispute with government agencies continues.
However, the ICPC has disputed the allegation that El-Rufai’s family has been denied access to him. A spokesperson for the commission, John Odey, told Blueprint that the agency had always granted access to the former governor’s family.
This creates a clear disagreement between the former governor’s legal team and the anti-corruption agency over the circumstances surrounding family visits.
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