El‑Rufai Threatens N15.6bn Suit Against ICPC Over Detention, Defamation
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El‑Rufai, has issued a pre‑action notice against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), threatening to file a ₦15.6 billion suit over what he described as unlawful detention and defamatory statements by the anti‑graft agency.
In the notice dated March 4, 2026, and received at ICPC headquarters on March 5, El‑Rufai, through his counsel Ubong Akpan, accused the Commission of contempt of court, malicious prosecution, defamation, abuse of office, forgery, fabrication of evidence, and unlawful detention.
The former governor’s legal team faulted a press statement issued by the ICPC on March 2, which alleged that he refused to cooperate with its investigation. They argued that the claim misrepresented his constitutional right to remain silent under Sections 35(2) and 36(11) of the 1999 Constitution, stressing that silence cannot be equated with non‑cooperation.
El‑Rufai’s lawyers further alleged that ICPC officials engaged in forgery of a remand order, perjury, and fabrication of evidence. They demanded his immediate release, withdrawal of the defamatory statement, a public apology in three national newspapers, and preservation of all records relating to the search and detention.
The damages sought include ₦5bn compensatory, ₦5bn exemplary, ₦5bn aggravated, ₦500m for injurious falsehood, and ₦100m for legal costs, totalling ₦15.6bn.
The ICPC had earlier informed an FCT High Court that it recovered electronic equipment allegedly capable of intercepting telephone conversations during a search of El‑Rufai’s Abuja residence. The investigation reportedly concerns financial irregularities during his tenure as governor (2015–2023), including €1.4m and about 180 suspicious payments worth over ₦2.1bn.
El‑Rufai’s family has denied the allegations, describing the seized items as ordinary phones, laptops, and storage devices. His son, Mohammed Bello El‑Rufai, dismissed the ICPC’s claims as “falsehoods,” insisting the alleged interception devices exist only in “the fevered imagination of the Commission.”
This latest move follows an earlier ₦1bn suit filed by El‑Rufai against the ICPC, challenging what he termed the “unlawful invasion” of his Abuja residence.
