LThe Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed December 2, 2026, for judgment in a N1 billion fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other respondents.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date on Tuesday after lawyers to the respondents adopted their respective court processes.
At the commencement of proceedings, counsel to El-Rufai was absent from court, prompting the judge to deem the processes filed on behalf of the former governor as adopted.
Counsel to the ICPC, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, adopted the commission’s processes and urged the court to dismiss the suit.
Similarly, counsel to the Inspector-General of Police, ACP Ezekiel Rimamsomte, and the Director of Civil Litigation and Public Law, Maimuna Lami-Shiru, who represented the Attorney-General of the Federation, adopted their respective processes and urged the court to dismiss the case.
El-Rufai’s counsel, Ubong Akpan, later arrived in court and apologised for his lateness. He sought the court’s permission to adopt his client’s processes but Justice Abdulmalik informed him that the processes had already been deemed adopted.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until December 2 for judgment.
El-Rufai is seeking N1 billion in general, exemplary and aggravated damages over the search of his Abuja residence by operatives of the ICPC and the police.
The former governor alleged that the February 19 search of his residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, violated his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy guaranteed under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution.
He is also seeking an order directing the ICPC and the Inspector-General of Police to return all items seized during the operation and provide a detailed inventory of the property recovered.
The ICPC, however, opposed the suit, saying the search followed an investigation into a petition against the former governor.
In its counter-affidavit, the commission said its operatives acted pursuant to a valid search warrant issued by a competent court on February 18 and executed the warrant the following day between 1:37pm and 3:56pm.
The commission said its officials were accompanied by police personnel during the operation, which was witnessed by El-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza, and son, Mohammed.
It also listed items allegedly recovered from the residence and urged the court to dismiss the suit. 
The Inspector-General of Police, through a counter-affidavit deposed to by Inspector Ewa Anthony, argued that the police had statutory powers to detect, arrest, investigate and prosecute offenders.
The police maintained that the search was carried out pursuant to a valid warrant issued by a competent court and rejected El-Rufai’s claim that the warrant was invalid.
The Inspector-General further argued that the suit was an attempt to shield the former governor from an ongoing security investigation and possible prosecution.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, represented by Lami-Shiru, denied being privy to the alleged violation of El-Rufai’s rights.
The AGF maintained that the ICPC and police acted within their statutory responsibilities and that the seized items were recovered to enable the agencies to conclude their investigation.
He also argued that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process, alleging that El-Rufai had two other pending cases on the same subject matter before the FCT High Court.
The AGF consequently urged the Federal High Court to dismiss the suit for lacking legal and evidential justification.
The judgment on December 2 will determine whether the search of El-Rufai’s residence and seizure of property amounted to a violation of his constitutional rights and whether he is entitled to the N1 billion damages being sought.
