The legal standoff between the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, intensified on Monday as the anti-graft agency unveiled in court a detailed inventory of items allegedly recovered from his Abuja residence.
The disclosures were contained in filings before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, where the commission is opposing a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit instituted by the former governor.
El-Rufai had approached the court, challenging what he described as his “illegal arrest, detention, and search” carried out at his residence last month.
In response, the ICPC maintained that its operatives acted within the bounds of the law, citing a valid search warrant issued on February 18 and executed the following day between 1:37pm and 3:56pm at 12 Mambilla Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
According to the commission, its officials were accompanied by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, and the search was witnessed by El-Rufai’s wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai.
The ICPC told the court that several documents were retrieved during the operation. These allegedly include investor account statements, asset declaration forms, certificates of registration for business entities, corporate compliance records, and client Know-Your-Customer files.
Other materials listed in the filings include documents linked to the African Democratic Congress welfare secretary, records of domestic and foreign loans approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023, as well as interim investigation reports involving El-Rufai and his associates.
The commission further claimed that Ecobank Nigeria Plc share certificates, land documents, student financial services papers, valuation reports, deeds of assignment, irrevocable Powers of Attorney for multiple properties, Afri-Venture Capital Company documents, payment mandates, and media/publicity materials from the Office of the former governor were also recovered.
On electronic devices, the ICPC said nine flash drives, one memory card, seven hard drives, multiple laptops — including Apple MacBook Pro and Elumac Book Pro models — and several mobile phones were taken from the residence.
The phones reportedly include Blackberry, Nokia N95, Toshiba, Samsung IDEOS, Google IDEOS, 18 other devices, as well as a Remarkable tablet with chargers.
The commission stated that all items were properly documented and sealed for forensic analysis. A detailed Device Documentation Form, it added, captured serial numbers, device types, storage details, and accessories. The operation, according to the filings, was witnessed by Hadiza El-Rufai, Mohammed El-Rufai, Ajibade Abiodun, and Asjuquo J.E.
However, the ICPC acknowledged that El-Rufai noted in the documentation that he did not grant consent for access to any of the devices recovered from his home.
Reacting in a statement on Monday, El-Rufai’s family accused the commission of attempting to criminalise his silence during interrogation.
In a statement signed by his son, Bello El-Rufai, a member of the House of Representatives, the former governor declared, “Charge me, if you have anything against me. You have had more than 2 years to investigate me. Take me to court, please.”
The family maintained that his silence was a constitutionally guaranteed right and not evidence of guilt, describing attempts to draw adverse inferences as reflecting an “inquisitorial mindset” by the commission.
They also disputed the scope of items allegedly recovered, insisting that only personal effects were seized.
“We were present when these items were seized. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones… storage devices like flash drives and laptops… were seized from the property,” the statement read.
The family further challenged the legality of the search warrant, alleging that it was invalid and fraudulently procured.
“Our lawyers have challenged this illegitimate warrant in a court of competent jurisdiction,” the statement added.
Since leaving office in 2023, El-Rufai has been the subject of multiple probes. In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly called for an investigation into the alleged diversion of N423 billion during his administration.
He was previously arrested by the State Security Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and is currently in ICPC custody. His detention has reportedly stalled his arraignment on separate phone-tapping charges.
Despite the controversy, the ICPC insisted that its actions were lawful and consistent with its statutory mandate to investigate corruption and related offences.
