Court Grants ICPC Access to Devices Seized from Nasir El-Rufai’s Residence
The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) permission to access and conduct forensic analysis on electronic devices recovered from the residence of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Thursday after granting an ex parte motion filed by the anti-graft agency.
Counsel to the ICPC, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, while moving the application, urged the court to allow the commission inspect the devices and extract relevant data for forensic examination as part of an ongoing investigation involving the former governor.
Akponimisingha told the court that granting the request would enable investigators carry out detailed digital analysis of the materials recovered during the search of El-Rufai’s residence.
Items listed by the commission include a Sony HD-EGS storage device, a 1TB Transcend storage device, a Toshiba storage device, a Samsung mobile phone, a Nokia N95 8GB mobile phone, a BlackBerry device and a Google IDEOS phone.
Others are a Samsung storage device (SP0802N), a Remarkable tablet, an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, a Seagate FreeAgent external drive, a ZTE mobile phone, 10 flash drives and a microcell memory card.
The application, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/499/2026, was filed in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against El-Rufai.
Meanwhile, El-Rufai had earlier challenged the search carried out at his Abuja residence by the ICPC on February 19.
The former governor is asking the court to nullify the search warrant issued on February 4 by a magistrate court in the Federal Capital Territory, which authorised security operatives to search his residence and seize certain items.
He is also seeking an order declaring that any evidence obtained from the search should be declared inadmissible in any proceedings against him, arguing that it was obtained in violation of constitutional safeguards.
In addition, El-Rufai is demanding N1 billion as general, exemplary and aggravated damages over what he described as violations of his fundamental rights, including alleged trespass, unlawful seizure of property, psychological trauma, humiliation, distress and reputational damage.
The former governor joined the chief magistrate who issued the search warrant, the inspector-general of police and the attorney-general of the federation as respondents in the suit.
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication with Second Class(Upper Division) at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
