Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a ₦1 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, accusing the agency of unlawfully searching his residence in Abuja.
The suit challenges a search warrant issued on February 4 by a Chief Magistrate of the Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory. El-Rufai, through his lawyers led by Oluwole Iyamu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, asked the court to declare the warrant invalid.
He argued that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution.”
He also urged the court to rule that “any evidence obtained pursuant to the aforesaid invalid warrant and unlawful search is inadmissible in any proceedings against the applicant, as it was procured in breach of constitutional safeguards.”
In addition, the former governor is seeking an injunction to stop the ICPC and its agents from using any items seized during the search in any investigation or prosecution involving him.
El-Rufai broke down the ₦1 billion damages claim into ₦300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma and loss of personal security, ₦400 million as exemplary damages to discourage misconduct by law enforcement agencies, and ₦300 million as aggravated damages over what he described as oppressive actions.
He is also seeking ₦100 million to cover the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and other expenses.
The court will decide whether the warrant was properly issued and whether the evidence obtained can be admitted in any future proceedings.