The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has said it is yet to receive the N2bn pre-action notice filed by Aichatou El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged defamatory remarks published by the anti-graft agency.
Aichatou, through her legal representatives, issued the notice to the chairman of the commission following the publication of a statement titled, “Clarification on the Access Control Protocol at ICPC Headquarters, Abuja”, released on 18 May 2026.
According to the legal notice, portions of the statement — read by the commission’s spokesperson, John Odey — were defamatory and had caused serious reputational damage.
Responding in a telephone interview with Sunday PUNCH, Odey said the commission had not yet seen the filing.
“I have not seen it but I will confirm on Monday and get back to you,” he said.
The legal team objected in particular to the commission’s description of Aichatou as “a woman who identified herself as the wife of a defendant”, arguing that the wording cast doubt on her status as the lawful spouse of the former governor.
Her lawyers further argued that the commission’s claim that some of her earlier assertions were “false and misleading” portrayed her as dishonest and deceptive, thereby injuring her public standing.
The notice also challenged allegations that she breached visitation procedures at the commission’s headquarters, saying the claims depicted her as someone unwilling to comply with institutional rules.
In addition, the lawyers took issue with sections of the statement which they said implied that Mrs El-Rufai had contradicted herself over claims that her husband was denied food while in custody.
According to the legal team, the remarks undermined her credibility and integrity while unfairly suggesting that she had attempted to create a media spectacle in order to circumvent official procedures.
The notice stated that the publication had been widely circulated across local and international media platforms, exposing Mrs El-Rufai to ridicule, embarrassment and reputational harm.
Describing her as a woman of “unblemished character”, the lawyers accused the anti-corruption agency of deploying its official platform to target a private citizen unfairly.
Among the demands outlined in the notice were an immediate retraction of the statements and a public apology to Mrs El-Rufai, to be published in at least three national newspapers and disseminated across the commission’s digital and social media channels.
The legal team is also seeking N2bn in general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the alleged harm caused by the publication, alongside a written undertaking that no similar statements would be made against her in future.
The commission was given 14 days to comply with the demands, failing which the lawyers said legal proceedings would commence.
