Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted another fundamental rights action against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, demanding N10 billion in damages over alleged restrictions on access to his wife and son while in detention.
The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026, is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026.
El-Rufai, through his counsel, Ubong Akpan, alleged that the anti-corruption agency had prevented his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him in custody.
He also joined the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the second and third defendants in the case.
Among the nine reliefs sought by the former governor is a declaration that his constitutional rights remain enforceable despite his detention.
El-Rufai alleged that the repeated denial of access to his family, particularly when they sought to bring him food, medication and other personal necessities, was unlawful and violated his rights under Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
He further alleged that ICPC officials physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son during an incident on July 7.
The former governor described the alleged action as an arbitrary interference with his family relationships and urged the court to declare the continued denial of access unconstitutional, illegal and void.
He is also asking the court to order the respondents to provide him with “unhindered and reasonable access” to his family members and legal representatives throughout his detention, in accordance with an earlier order of the Federal High Court.
El-Rufai claimed that the restrictions had made it impossible for his wife and son to provide him with food, medication and other necessities.
He said the alleged treatment had subjected him to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety and psychological distress.
In an affidavit filed in support of the application, El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that the former governor was being held at the ICPC office in Abuja.
Shaba said Asabe had regularly provided her husband with food, clothing, medication and other personal items required for his wellbeing while in custody.
He also disclosed that El-Rufai is the first defendant in charge number FHC/KD/73C/2025 before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, in a case in which the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant.
According to him, Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Kaduna division had on April 1 ordered the ICPC to permit the defendants access to their lawyers and personal physicians whenever necessary.
Shaba argued that the order reinforced the principle that detainees should not be held incommunicado and that the conditions of their detention remained subject to judicial supervision.
He further maintained that El-Rufai retained his fundamental rights under the Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, including the right to humane treatment and reasonable access to his family.
The affidavit stated that before the July 7 incident, Asabe had routinely visited her husband and delivered meals and other essential items to him without obstruction.
The latest case is one of several legal actions filed by the former governor against the ICPC since the commission commenced investigations involving him.
In February, El-Rufai filed a separate N1 billion fundamental rights suit against the commission over an alleged search of his Abuja residence.
The case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, challenged the validity of a search warrant issued by a Chief Magistrate of the Federal Capital Territory Magistrates’ Court.
El-Rufai alleged that the search breached his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Constitution.
The suit was subsequently amended, with the former governor removing the magistrate who issued the warrant from the list of defendants.