Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has instituted a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), a Chief Magistrate of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Magistrates’ Court, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) over what he describes as an unlawful invasion and search of his Abuja residence.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, was filed on February 20, 2026, through his legal team led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, following the search and seizure of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19.
El-Rufai’s legal action challenges the validity of a warrant issued on February 4, 2026, by the FCT Magistrates’ Court that authorised the search.
A fundamental rights enforcement suit allows individuals to seek court protection where they allege their constitutionally guaranteed rights have been breached. El-Rufai is asserting that the execution of the warrant violated several constitutional rights.
In the originating motion, El-Rufai contends that the search warrant was invalid, null and void due to lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause, which he said made the warrant unlawful under Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
He asked the court to declare that the invasion and search of his Abuja residence “amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Constitution.”
El-Rufai is also seeking a court order declaring any evidence obtained pursuant to the contested warrant inadmissible in any proceedings against him.
He wants an injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further use of any seized items in any investigation or prosecution.
The suit requests return of all items seized from his residence, along with a detailed inventory, and ₦1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) in damages. El-Rufai’s claim breaks down the damages as:
- ₦300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress and loss of personal security;
- ₦400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct;
- ₦300 million as aggravated damages for what he describes as high-handed conduct;
- ₦100 million as the cost of filing the suit.
An affidavit supporting the application, deposed by Mohammed Shaba, Principal Secretary to El-Rufai, states that officers of the ICPC and the Nigeria Police Force executed the search without lawful authority and that personal documents and electronic devices were seized but not returned.
El-Rufai’s suit brings constitutional rights issues to the Federal High Court and seeks judicial review of the procedures used in executing the search.
It centres on statutory requirements for valid search warrants under provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and constitutional safeguards against unlawful invasion of residence and seizure of personal property.
The inclusion of multiple respondents; ‘the ICPC, a magistrate court official, the IGP and the AGF’ reflects the former governor’s approach to challenging both the warrant’s issuance and the conduct of the agents who executed it.
