El-Rufai Withdraws N1bn Rights Suit Against Magistrate

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has withdrawn his fundamental rights enforcement suit against Chief Magistrate Joyce Abdulmalik in a N1 billion lawsuit. This announcement was made on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where El-Rufai's counsel, Ugochukwu Nnakwu, informed the court of the motion to remove the magistrate from the case.

The development follows an earlier observation by Justice Abdulmalik that the suit failed to properly identify the magistrate, leading to the striking of her name from the suit. El-Rufai's legal team requested an adjournment to amend the suit, which challenges the search of his Abuja residence by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and alleges violations of fundamental rights, including dignity, privacy, and fair hearing.

The search was conducted under a valid warrant issued by a competent court. The case has been adjourned to June 17 to allow El-Rufai to submit the amended process.