Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a fresh ₦10 billion fundamental rights lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing the agency of preventing his wife and son from accessing him while in custody.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026, through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan. El-Rufai also named the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as defendants.
According to the court filing, El-Rufai alleges that his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, were repeatedly prevented from visiting him despite what he says was an earlier court order allowing access to his family, lawyers and personal physicians.
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He further alleges that the restrictions prevented his family from supplying him with food, medication, clothing and other necessities.
He claims the alleged treatment violated his constitutional rights to dignity and private and family life under Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
El-Rufai also alleges that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7, describing the alleged conduct as unlawful interference with his family relationships.
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He is asking the court to declare the alleged denial of access unconstitutional and to order the commission to provide him with reasonable and unhindered access to his family and legal representatives.
The former governor is seeking nine reliefs, including ₦10 billion in compensation for the alleged violations, alongside declarations concerning his continued enjoyment of fundamental rights while detained.
The case comes amid the broader corruption investigation involving the former governor.
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His latest lawsuit focuses specifically on the conditions of his detention and alleged restrictions on family access, rather than determining the substantive allegations against him.
However, the ICPC has disputed the claim. Its spokesperson, John Odey, told Blueprint that the commission has consistently granted access to El-Rufai’s family.
The court will now determine the competing claims and whether the alleged restrictions amounted to violations of El-Rufai’s constitutional rights.
