The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, granted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) permission to access analyze electronic devices recovered from the residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, gave the permission, following an ex-parte motion filed by ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
The motion sought authorization for the commission to inspect, conduct forensic examinations, and extract data from the devices in connection with its ongoing investigation into the former governor.
According to reports by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), ICPC operatives recovered 14 electronic devices from El-Rufai’s Abuja residence, including a Sony HD-EGS storage device, ITB Transcend storage device, Toshiba storage device, Samsung and Nokia mobile phones, a Blackberry device, Google IDEOS phone, Samsung storage device (SPO802N), Remarkable tablet, Apple MacBook Pro, Seagate FreeAgent desk external drive, ZTE mobile phone, ten flash drives, and a microSD card.
The ex-parte motion is part of case FHC/ABJ/CS/499/2026, titled Federal Republic of Nigeria vs. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai. El-Rufai is simultaneously challenging the search in a separate suit, seeking N1 billion in damages, under case FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, filed on February 20 by Oluwole Iyamu.
In his fundamental rights enforcement suit, El-Rufai alleges that the February 19 search of his residence at 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, violated his rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing, and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36, and 37 of the Nigerian Constitution.
He also contends that any evidence obtained from the search is inadmissible, seeking an injunction preventing its use in any proceedings against him.
Additionally, he demands the immediate return of all seized items along with an inventory, and claims N1 billion in general, exemplary, and aggravated damages.
In response, ICPC maintained that the search followed a valid warrant issued on February 18, executed on February 19 between 1:37 pm and 3:56 pm at the former governor’s residence.
The commission stated that the operation, which involved the Nigeria Police Force, was witnessed by El-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza, and his son, Mohammed. ICPC urged the court to dismiss El-Rufai’s suit, asserting that its actions were lawful and part of a legitimate investigation.
The Nigeria Police Force, in a counter-affidavit deposed by Insp. Ewa Anthony, also defended the search.
The police emphasized that it was conducted under a valid court order and in full compliance with legal procedures, rejecting claims that the warrant was invalid.
They argued that El-Rufai’s suit attempts to use the court as a shield against ongoing investigations and potential prosecution.
The case remains pending before the Federal High Court, with the authorization allowing ICPC to continue its forensic examination of the recovered devices.
