ABUJA — Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a fresh N10 billion lawsuit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging that his family has been unlawfully denied access to visit him in custody.

The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13 through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, seeks enforcement of what El-Rufai describes as his fundamental rights while in detention.

According to the suit, ICPC officials prevented his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him, and he further accused the officials of physically restraining and intimidating his family members during an alleged incident on July 7. El-Rufai argued that denying his family access to him, particularly when they sought to bring food, medication and other necessities, amounted to unlawful interference with his rights and family relationships.

He is asking the court to declare the continued restriction on family visits, absent lawful authority, unconstitutional, illegal and void, and is seeking an order compelling the ICPC to grant him unhindered and reasonable access to his family members and legal counsel for the duration of his detention. The suit further claims that the restrictions have subjected him to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety and psychological distress, in alleged violation of constitutional protections relating to human dignity, privacy and the enforcement of fundamental rights.

In an affidavit supporting the case, El-Rufai's Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, stated that the former governor is being held at the ICPC office in Abuja, and that his wife had regularly supplied him with food, clothing, medication and other personal necessities while in custody. Shaba also cited an earlier Federal High Court order directing the ICPC to allow him access to lawyers and personal doctors whenever necessary, arguing that the order confirms the detention remains subject to judicial oversight.

The ICPC, its chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation have been joined as defendants in the fresh suit, which is expected to test the extent of detainees' constitutional rights to family and legal access while investigations remain ongoing.

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