Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has instituted another N10 billion fundamental rights action against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over the alleged restriction of access to his wife and son during his detention.

The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026, is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026. El-Rufai is challenging what he described as the unlawful refusal of the ICPC to allow his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, to visit him in custody.

The former governor filed the action through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan. He named the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the second and third defendants.

El-Rufai is asking the court for nine reliefs, including a declaration that his constitutional rights remain protected and enforceable despite his detention.

He alleged that the repeated denial of access to his family members had made it difficult for them to provide him with food, medication, clothing and other personal necessities.

According to him, the alleged restriction, which was imposed without lawful justification or a court order, amounted to a violation of his rights to dignity and privacy under Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as well as relevant provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The former governor further alleged that ICPC officials physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son during an incident on July 7.

He described the alleged action as an arbitrary interference with his family relationships and urged the court to declare the continued denial of family access unconstitutional and unlawful.

El-Rufai is also seeking an order compelling the respondents to provide him with reasonable and unhindered access to his family members and legal representatives throughout his detention, in line with an earlier directive of the Federal High Court.

He claimed that the restrictions had subjected him to emotional distress, anxiety and humiliation.

AFFIDAVIT DETAILS ALLEGED RESTRICTIONS

In an affidavit filed in support of the case, El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that the former governor was being held at the ICPC office in Abuja.

Shaba said the information contained in the affidavit was obtained from Asabe on July 12.

He stated that Asabe had regularly taken responsibility for supplying her husband with food, clothing, medication and other personal items needed during his detention.

According to the affidavit, El-Rufai is the first defendant in charge number FHC/KD/73C/2025, pending before the Federal High Court in Kaduna, where the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the complainant.

Shaba also referred to an earlier order issued by Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Kaduna division on April 1, directing the ICPC to permit the defendants to have access to their lawyers and personal doctors whenever necessary.

He argued that the order reaffirmed the principle that detainees should not be held incommunicado and that detention conditions remain subject to judicial oversight.

The affidavit further maintained that El-Rufai continues to enjoy fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, including the right to humane treatment and reasonable contact with family members.

Shaba said Asabe had visited her husband regularly before July 7 and was able to deliver meals and other necessities to him without difficulty.

LATEST IN SERIES OF LEGAL CHALLENGES

The latest case is one of several legal actions filed by El-Rufai against the ICPC since the commission commenced investigations involving him.

In February, the former governor filed a separate N1 billion fundamental rights suit challenging an alleged search of his Abuja residence.

The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, questioned the legality of a search warrant issued by a Chief Magistrate of the Federal Capital Territory Magistrates’ Court.

El-Rufai argued that the execution of the warrant violated his rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Constitution.

The earlier case was subsequently amended, with the former governor removing the magistrate who issued the search warrant from the list of defendants.