El-Rufai files fresh N10bn suit against ICPC over family access
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has initiated a N10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) regarding alleged restrictions on family visits during his detention.
The suit was filed on August 13 at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with El-Rufai asserting that his fundamental rights are being violated while he is in custody. His attorney, Ubong Akpan, claims ICPC officials have prohibited visits from his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai.
In addition to the ICPC, El-Rufai includes the commission’s chairman and the Attorney General of the Federation as defendants. He seeks a court declaration that his constitutional rights are maintained despite his detention and argues that the denial of family access, particularly for the provision of food, medication, and other essentials, is unlawful.
El-Rufai also alleges that ICPC personnel physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son during a visit on July 7, characterizing this as an unjustified interference with family relationships. He requests the court to declare the denial of family access unconstitutional and to order the ICPC to grant him “unhindered and reasonable access to members of his family and counsel” as previously directed by the court.
According to El-Rufai, the restrictions have led to “humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety, and psychological distress.” He further claims that the ICPC has acted arbitrarily and unlawfully, in violation of sections of the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
An affidavit in support of the lawsuit, submitted by El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that the former governor is being held at the ICPC facilities in Abuja. Shaba noted that El-Rufai’s wife had been supplying him with food, clothing, medication, and other necessities for his well-being while in custody.
The affidavit referenced a prior order from Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna, which mandated that the ICPC allow detainees access to their lawyers and personal doctors when necessary. Shaba emphasized that this order indicates that detainees should not be held incommunicado, and that the ICPC is subject to judicial oversight concerning detention conditions.
