Report by SUNTV Global Channel | February 23, 2026
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and three other respondents, following what he described as an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.
The suit, filed on February 20, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, is registered under case number FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026.
According to court filings, El-Rufai’s legal counsel, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), told the court that the incident occurred on February 19, 2026, at about 2:00 p.m., when ICPC operatives, accompanied by police officers, stormed the former governor’s residence on Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja.
The suit names the ICPC as the first respondent, alongside the Chief Magistrate of the FCT Magistrate Court, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
El-Rufai’s legal team argues that the operation was carried out using a defective search warrant issued on February 4, 2026. They claim the warrant lacked specific details about items to be seized and contained significant errors in its documentation.
The filing further alleges the warrant violated provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, the ICPC Act 2000, and sections of Nigeria’s Constitution relating to dignity, liberty, fair hearing, and privacy.
The former governor also accused the officers of confiscating personal documents and electronic devices without providing any official inventory or returning the items.
His legal team maintains that the seized materials have neither been documented nor released since the raid.
El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the search warrant invalid and the operation unlawful, order the immediate return of all seized property, and restrain authorities from using any materials obtained during the raid.
He is also seeking ₦1 billion in damages, including compensatory, exemplary, and aggravated claims, along with ₦100 million in legal costs.
According to the filing, the incident caused him “psychological trauma, humiliation, reputational damage, and emotional distress.”
