Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has filed a fresh ₦10 billion suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged restrictions on his access to his family while in custody. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026, through his lawyer Ubong Akpan, is marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, with the ICPC, its chairman, and the Attorney-General of the Federation listed as defendants.
Allegations of Denied Family Access
El-Rufai is seeking nine specific reliefs from the court, including a formal declaration that his fundamental rights under Part IV of the 1999 Constitution remain fully enforceable during his detention. He alleged that ICPC officials repeatedly stopped his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him, affecting their ability to bring him food, medication, clothing, and other necessities. He also alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son during an incident on July 7.
According to the former governor, the alleged treatment amounted to an unlawful interference with his family life. He is asking the court to declare that the denial of family access violated his fundamental rights under Sections 34, 37, and 46 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and Articles 5 and 18 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. El-Rufai is also requesting an order directing the ICPC to grant him reasonable and unhindered access to his family and lawyers.
Affidavit and Prior Court Order
An affidavit supporting the case was deposed to by Mohammed Shaba, El-Rufai’s Principal Secretary. Shaba said Asabe had previously visited her husband regularly and provided him with food, medication, clothing, and other personal needs. He also referred to an order issued on April 1, 2026, by Justice R. M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna, which directed the ICPC to allow El-Rufai access to his lawyers and personal physicians.
The family-access dispute comes against a wider disagreement between El-Rufai and the ICPC over his detention. On July 7, the commission accused the former governor of abusing a court-approved medical visit. The ICPC said El-Rufai had been scheduled to appear before the Kaduna State High Court but declined to go with its officers, insisting that he needed to see his personal doctor. The commission later facilitated a medical visit to the private wing of the National Hospital in Abuja, with officials staying outside the consultation room during the examination.
ICPC's Account and Visiting Hours
The ICPC said photographs posted on Facebook by political associate Isa Ashiru Kudan showed El-Rufai meeting with political associates during the visit, leading the commission to allege that the medical visit had been used for activities outside the court-approved purpose. The dispute led to the arrest of El-Rufai’s personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, whom the ICPC accused of making false statements concerning the medical visit. El-Rufai denied breaching the court order, saying the medical appointment was based on an existing health issue and had been arranged before the family became aware of the proposed court sitting in Kaduna.
There was also an earlier dispute over visiting hours. In May, ICPC spokesperson Okor Odey said the commission's access-control protocol allows visits between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., a rule that applies to people in ICPC custody generally. Odey said El-Rufai's wife arrived at about 7:00 p.m., after visiting hours had ended. The ICPC also said its visitor records showed that El-Rufai's wife and a housemaid had visited him several times that day, between about 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., to deliver food, a account that differs sharply from El-Rufai's claim of repeated denial.
Bail Conditions and Next Steps
El-Rufai's continued detention is also linked to his bail conditions. The Federal High Court in Kaduna granted him bail, but the conditions included a ₦200 million bond, two sureties with specific requirements, the surrender of his international passport, and restrictions on public comments about the case. The ICPC has maintained that El-Rufai remains in custody because the conditions for his release have not been fulfilled.
The new suit now puts the dispute over family access before the Federal High Court in Abuja. El-Rufai's allegations have not been established by the court, and the ICPC has denied unlawfully restricting his family access, offering a different account of the events. The case will therefore turn on the evidence before the court and the interpretation of the constitutional and human-rights protections relied upon by the former governor.
