El-Rufai Sues ICPC for N10bn Over Family Access Denial

Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has initiated a N10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) due to the alleged denial of access to his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, while in custody. The suit, filed by his lawyer Ubong Akpan at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026, names the ICPC Chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as additional defendants.

El-Rufai seeks nine reliefs, including declarations that his fundamental rights remain enforceable despite his detention and that the denial of access to his family violates his constitutional rights. He claims that his family has been prevented from providing him with essential needs during his detention at the ICPC’s Abuja office.

El-Rufai also alleges that ICPC officers subjected his family to intimidation and ill-treatment on July 7. He requests the court to declare the continued denial of access unconstitutional and to order the ICPC to grant him reasonable access to his family and legal representatives.