Nigerian court postpones El-Rufai’s 1 billion naira lawsuit — Premium Times Nigeria
The Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria, has postponed until October 27 the hearing of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s 1 billion naira lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Inspector General of Police, and the Attorney General of the Federation.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the hearing so that El-Rufai’s lawyer, Akinyemi Aremu, could respond to the written objections filed by the Attorney General of the Federation. The court also granted the attorney general’s representative’s application for an extension of time to properly file and serve the objections.
The plaintiff’s demands
El-Rufai is seeking a declaration that the search of his house at No. 12 Mambilla Street in the Asokoro district of Abuja on February 19 violated his fundamental rights. He claims that the ICPC’s actions infringed his rights to human dignity, personal liberty, a fair hearing, and privacy.
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The former governor is also asking the court to prohibit the defendants from using in investigations or court proceedings any items or evidence seized during the search. In addition, he demands the return of the seized property with a detailed inventory and the recovery of 1 billion naira as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages. Earlier, El-Rufai removed the chief magistrate from the lawsuit because he was unable to specify which magistrate allegedly issued the search warrant.
ICPC and police positions
In its objection, the ICPC stated that it received a complaint against El-Rufai and subsequently launched an investigation. The commission insists that its officers acted under a valid search warrant issued on February 18 and executed the following day between 13:37 and 15:56.
According to the ICPC, police officers were present during the search, while the politician’s wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai, acted as witnesses. The commission stated that its officers complied with all procedures required by law and asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed. The police also stated that the search was conducted under a warrant issued by a competent court and asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit in its entirety.
