By theG&BJournal
TUE FEB 24 2026-theGBJournal| Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), contesting the legality of a search warrant executed against him.
The high-stakes legal battle sets the stage for a constitutional showdown over due process, investigatory powers, and the limits of anti-corruption enforcement in Nigeria.
In court filings, El-Rufai is challenging the validity and procedural basis of the warrant, arguing that it was improperly obtained and executed in breach of his fundamental rights.
His legal team is seeking judicial clarification on whether the anti-graft agency complied with statutory requirements before carrying out the search.
In their case, they are seeking a declaration- That the search warrant is invalid, for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth and lack of probable cause.
-The invasion and search of his residence based on an invalid search warrant amounts to a gross violation of his fundamental human rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Constitution.
-Any evidence obtained pursuant to the invalid warrant and unlawful search is not admissible in any proceedings against him as it was obtained in breach of constitutional safeguards.
Malam El-Rufai is also seeking an injunction restraining the respondents from using or tendering any evidence or items seized during unlawful search in any proceedings involving him. He is seeking an order for the return of all items obtained during the search, and an order for various damages.
According to the court filing “the search warrant is fundamentally defective, lacking specificity in the description of items to be seized, containing material typographical errors, ambiguous execution terms, overbroad directives, and no verifiable probable cause, in contravention of Sections 143-148 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (ACJA), Section 36 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 (ICPC Act), an constitutional protections against arbitrary intrusions. “
Malam El-Rufai’s lawyers also contend that:
• Section 143 of the ACJA requires that an application for a search warrant be supported by information in writing and on oath, setting forth reasonable grounds for suspicion, which was absent here as evidenced by the incomplete initiating clause;
• Section 144 mandates particular descriptions of the place to be searched and the items sought, to prevent general warrants, yet the warrant vaguely refers to “the thing aforesaid” without any detail;
• Section 146 stipulates that the warrant must be in the prescribed form, free from defects that could mislead, but the document is riddled with errors in the address, date, and district designation;
• Section 147 allows direction to specified persons, but the warrant’s indiscriminate addressing to “all” officers is overbroad and unaccountable;
• Section 148 permits execution at reasonable times, but the contradictory language creates ambiguity, undermining procedural clarity.
The case is expected to test the balance between aggressive anti-corruption enforcement and the protection of civil liberties. With political undertones and national attention building, the outcome could redefine how investigative agencies deploy search warrants in high-profile cases across the country.
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