Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has set out in court filings the documents and electronic devices it says were recovered from the Abuja home of former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as it moved to dismiss a ₦1bn fundamental rights suit brought by the ex-governor.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) told the Federal Capital Territory High Court that its operatives executed a search warrant issued on 18 February and carried out the operation the following day between 1.37pm and 3.56pm at 12 Mambilla Street, Asokoro, Abuja.
El-Rufai has challenged what he describes as his unlawful arrest, detention and the search of his residence last month. But the commission insisted its officers acted within the law and were accompanied by personnel of the Nigeria Police Force. It said the search was witnessed by his wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai.
In a detailed inventory filed before the court, the ICPC said it recovered investor account statements, asset declaration forms, business registration certificates and corporate compliance records. It also listed Know-Your-Customer files, documents linked to the African Democratic Congress welfare secretary, and records of domestic and foreign loans approved by the Kaduna state house of assembly between 2015 and 2023.
Other materials allegedly seized included share certificates in Ecobank Nigeria Plc, land documents, valuation reports, deeds of assignment, irrevocable powers of attorney relating to multiple properties, Afri-Venture Capital Company papers, payment mandates and media materials from the former governor’s office.
The commission further itemised a cache of electronic devices, including nine flash drives, one memory card, seven hard drives, several laptops – among them Apple MacBook Pro and Elumac Book Pro models – as well as mobile phones said to include Blackberry, Nokia N95, Toshiba and Samsung IDEOS handsets, alongside 18 other devices and a Remarkable tablet.
According to the ICPC, all items were catalogued, sealed and scheduled for forensic examination as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and asset concealment. A device documentation form, it said, recorded serial numbers, storage capacities and accessories, and was endorsed by witnesses present during the search.
The commission acknowledged that El-Rufai noted in the documentation that he did not grant consent for access to the devices recovered from his home.
In a statement on Monday, the former governor’s family accused the agency 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 said: “Charge me, if you have anything against me. You have had more than two years to investigate me. Take me to court, please.”
The family argued that his refusal to answer questions was an exercise of his constitutional right and not evidence of wrongdoing, describing any attempt to draw adverse inferences as indicative of an “inquisitorial mindset”.
They also contested the breadth of the seizure, maintaining that only personal effects were taken. “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 said.
The family further alleged that the search warrant was invalid and fraudulently obtained, adding that their lawyers had challenged its legality in court.
Since leaving office in 2023, El-Rufai has faced mounting scrutiny. In 2024, the Kaduna state house of assembly called for an inquiry into the alleged diversion of ₦423bn during his administration. He has previously been arrested by the State Security Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and remains in ICPC custody. His detention has reportedly delayed his arraignment on separate phone-tapping charges.
The ICPC maintains that its actions fall squarely within its statutory mandate to investigate corruption and related offences, setting the stage for a legal contest that could test the limits of investigative powers against constitutional protections.
