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Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Enforcement Commission (ICPC) for allegedly invading his residence.
This lawsuit comes five days after the former Kaduna State Governor was detained by the ICPC. News Central had reported that El-Rufai, who is facing prosecution over allegations of wiretapping the phone of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, was detained by the ICPC on Wednesday in connection with ongoing investigations.
El-Rufai, through his legal team led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, prayed the court to declare that the search warrant issued on Feb. 4 by the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT (2nd respondent), authorising the search and seizure at his residence was invalid, null and void.
He also urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause, thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution.”
The former governor, in the suit dated and filed Feb. 20 by Iyamu, sought seven reliefs.
“An order awarding the sum of N1,000,000,000.00 (One Billion Naira) as general, exemplary, and aggravated damages against the respondents jointly and severally for the violations of the applicant’s fundamental rights, including trespass, unlawful seizure, and the resultant psychological trauma, humiliation, distress, infringement of privacy, and reputational harm,” the suit read in part.
The N1 billion lawsuit includes a N300 million as compensatory damages for psychological trauma, emotional distress, and loss of personal security; a N400 million as exemplary damages to deter future misconduct by law enforcement agencies and vindicate the applicant’s rights, a N300 million as aggravated damages for the malicious, high-handed and oppressive nature of the respondents’ actions, including the use of a patently defective warrant procured through misleading representations.”
He also sought N100 million as the cost of filing the suit, including legal fees and associated expenses.
