The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday 27th October, 2026 fixed December 2, 2026, for judgment on the N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after lawyers to the parties adopted their processes in the case.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that other respondents in the suit are the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, as 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.
When the case was called, El-Rufai’s lawyer was initially not in court. Justice Abdulmalik then made an order deeming all the processes filed by the former governor as duly adopted.
Abdul Mohammed, SAN, who appeared for the ICPC, identified and adopted all their processes, urging the court to dismiss the suit in its entirety. The IGP’s lawyer, ACP Ezekiel Rimamsomte, and Mrs Maimuna Lami-Shiru, Director of Civil Litigation and Public Law, who represented the AGF, equally adopted their separate processes and prayed the court to dismiss the suit.
While the proceeding was ongoing, Mr Ubong Akpan, the ex-governor’s counsel, entered the courtroom and apologised for his lateness. He sought permission to adopt his processes, but Justice Abdulmalik informed him that his processes had already been deemed adopted.
Consequently, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until December 2 for judgment.
The former governor instituted the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026 over a search conducted at his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19, 2026, by operatives of the ICPC and police officers.
El-Rufai is seeking N1 billion in general, exemplary and aggravated damages, alleging that the operation violated his fundamental rights to dignity of human person, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy as guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended.
He is also asking the court to declare any evidence obtained during the search inadmissible, restrain the defendants from using the seized items, and order the immediate return of all property taken from his residence.
However, the ICPC argued that the search followed a petition against El-Rufai and was conducted under a valid warrant issued by a competent court.
It would be recalled that El-Rufai had earlier in the suit sued the ICPC, the Chief Magistrate at the Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja, the IGP and the AGF as 1st to 4th respondents respectively. He however dropped the name of the magistrate from the case following his inability to specify the name of the magistrate who was sued as the 2nd respondent after the judge made the observation.
Discussion0