Detention: El-Rufai Petitions ICPC, Demands N15.6bn Damages

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has submitted a formal petition and pre-action notice to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N15.6 billion in damages over what he described as his illegal detention and other alleged violations.

The petition, dated March 4, 2026, was written by a law firm led by Ubong Akpan and was delivered to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Daily Trust had earlier reported that the former governor has been in the custody of the ICPC since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) granted him bail on February 18, 2026.

This is not the first legal dispute between El-Rufai and the anti-graft agency. The former governor had earlier filed a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the commission following the raid on his residence by ICPC operatives.

In the latest petition, however, El-Rufai is demanding N15.6 billion in damages over alleged offences including defamation, abuse of office, forgery and uttering of false documents, malicious prosecution, contempt of court, and violation of his fundamental rights.

Akpan described an earlier statement issued by the ICPC concerning El-Rufai as reckless, defamatory and legally untenable.

The petition reads in part: “It is with profound regret, yet resolute determination, that we address you. The Commission, established by law to combat corruption and uphold the highest standards of integrity, has descended into what can only be described as a circus of chicanery, theatrical posturing and media trial. Your press statement of today is not a communication from a law enforcement agency; it is the frantic scribbling of an organisation that has been caught with its hands in the cookie jar of illegality and is now desperately attempting to justify the unjustifiable.

“We place you on notice: this letter is not a press release; it is a formal pre-action notice. It is the final courtesy extended to you before we unleash the full weight of the law upon your institution for the catalogue of crimes, torts and constitutional violations detailed below.”

The breakdown of the damages sought from the commission is as follows:

Compensatory damages: N5,000,000,000

Exemplary/Punitive damages: N5,000,000,000

Aggravated damages: N5,000,000,000

Damages for injurious falsehood: N500,000,000

Cost of action: N100,000,000

Total: N15,600,000,000.