Nasir el-Rufai
Embattled former governor of Kaduna State Nasir el-Rufai has dragged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Enforcement Commission (ICPC) to court demanding N1 billion for alleged violation of his fundamental rights following an alleged unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.
el-Rufai, a former chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and now a stalwart of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) is praying the court to declare that the search warrant issued on February 4, 2026, by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence was invalid, null and void.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that el-Rufai, through his team of lawyers led by Oluwole Iyamu, senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, is seeking the court’s declaration 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.”
El-Rufai had, in the originating motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, and filed by Iyamu February 20, sued ICPC as 1st respondent, listing the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; I-G and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as the 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.
The former governor sought seven reliefs, including a declaration that the invasion and search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19 at about 2pm and executed by agents of ICPC and I-G, “under the aforesaid invalid warrant, amounts to a gross violation of the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Constitution.”
He also prayed the court to declare 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.”
The former minister of the FCT therefore, sought an order of injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from further relying on, using, or tendering any evidence or items seized during the unlawful search in any investigation, prosecution, or proceedings involving him.
Other reliefs sought is, “An order directing the 1st and 3rd respondents (ICPC and I-G) to forthwith return all items seized from the applicant’s premises during the unlawful search, together with a detailed inventory thereof.
“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm.”
A breakdown of the compensation demanded included “a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security;
“A N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights;
“A N300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”
He also demanded N100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.
Iyamu argued that the search warrant was fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause.
According to the learned silk, this was in contravention of Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015; Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC) Act, 2000, and constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions.
Specifically, Iyamu argued that Section 143 of the ACJA requires that an application for a search warrant be supported by information in writing and on oath, setting forth reasonable grounds for suspicion, which was absent here, as evidenced by the incomplete initiating clause.
He said Section 144 mandates particular descriptions of the place to be searched and the items sought, to prevent general warrants.
He, however, argued that the instant warrant vaguely referred to “the thing aforesaid” without any detail.
“Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;
“Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to ‘all officers is overbroad and unaccountable.
“Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity,” he submitted.
Iyamu, a former attorney general and commissioner for justice in Edo State, insisted that the execution of the invalid warrant on February 19 resulted in an unlawful invasion of his client’s premises, constituting violations of the rights to dignity (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36), and privacy (Section 37) of the Constitution.
While contending that the search was conducted without legal justification and in a manner that inflicted humiliation and distress, the senior lawyer submitted that “Evidence obtained without a valid warrant is unlawful and inadmissible, as established in judicial precedents such as C.O.P. v. Omoh (1969) NCLR 137, where the court ruled that evidence procured through improper means contravenes fundamental rights and must be excluded,” he said.
Citing the case of Fawehinmi v. IGP (2000) 7 NWLR (Pt. 665) 481, Iyamu noted that the court condemned vague warrants as affording unbridled discretion and leading to abuse, and supported his claim with a plethora of cases.
In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on February 19 at about 2p.m., officers from the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about February 4.
According to Shaba, the said warrant was invalid due to its lack of specificity, errors, and other defects as outlined in the grounds of this application.
He pointed out that the “search warrant did not specify the properties or items being searched for,” adding that the officers failed to submit themselves for search as provided by the law before proceeding with the search.
Shaba said, “That the Magistrate did not specify the magisterial district wherein he sits.
“That during the invasion, the officers searched the applicant’s premises without lawful authority, seized personal items including documents and electronic devices, and caused the applicant undue humiliation, psychological trauma, and distress.
“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ is the list of the items carted away.
“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.
“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce the same”.
