El-Rufai Sues ICPC For N1 Billion Over Search Of Abuja Home

By Suleiman Anyalewechi 

The embattled former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai,  has  instituted a suit challenging the legality of the search carried out at his Abuja residence by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

The Source reports that the anti-graft Commission which had taken the former Kaduna Governor into custody, immediately after the perfection of his Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFFC’s bail bond, last week, raided  his Abuja residence.

In a motion on notice filed at the Federal High Court Abuja, the former Kaduna Governor, who is one of the chieftains of the emerging opposition Coalition platform, the African Democratic Congress, is seeking an order of the court declaring as illegal, the ICPC’s search at his residence on the grounds that the warrant for the exercise was invalid.

He contended that the said warrant used for the search lacks particularity, is full of material drafting errors, ambiguous in execution parameters, and without stating clearly the probable cause of action.

According to El-Rufai, the search conducted by the  operatives of the ICPC at his residence on No 12 Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, on February 19, at about 2.00 pm was in total violation of his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy.

Consequently, he  prayed the court to declare as illegal, null and void the search, and an order  also restraining the Commission from using any evidence gathered in the process against him as it was obtained unlawfully.

He further prayed the court for an order mandating the ICPC and the Inspector -General.of Police, IGP, to return all items taken from his residence.

He  asked the court to award him the sum of One Billion Naira representing  300 million for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security; N400 million as examplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies, and another N300 million as aggravated damages ,as well as N100 million as legal cost.