Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dragged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and others to court, demanding N1 billion over what he calls an illegal raid on his Abuja home.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeks a declaration that the search warrant used to enter his residence was invalid.
El-Rufai described the warrant as “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause.”
He said ICPC and Nigeria Police officers searched his home at No. 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19 around 2 p.m.
According to him, the operation breached his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy.
The former governor wants the court to rule that any evidence taken during the search cannot be used against him in any investigation or trial because it was obtained unlawfully.
He is also asking for an order forcing the ICPC and the Inspector-General of Police to return all items seized from his house immediately, along with a full inventory.
El-Rufai is seeking N1 billion in total damages. Court papers show the breakdown: “N300 million for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security”; “N400 million as exemplary damages to discourage future misconduct by law enforcement agencies”; and “N300 million as aggravated damages” for what he called the “malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the operation.”
Additionally, he wants N100 million to cover legal costs.
His lawyer told the court that the warrant had errors in the address, date, and district, and did not clearly list items to be seized. He argued that these flaws made the search illegal.
The lawyer added that “evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible.”
In an affidavit, a senior aide to El-Rufai said officers acted without legal authority, seized personal documents and electronic gadgets, and caused humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.
The court has not yet scheduled a hearing for the case.
