Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has instituted a fresh ₦10 billion fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), its chairman, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).

In the originating motion filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the detained ex-governor alleged that the anti-graft agency breached his constitutional rights by repeatedly preventing his family members—specifically his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai—from accessing him while in custody.

El-Rufai contended that denying his family visitation without any valid court order or legal justification restricted his access to basic necessities, including essential medical care and meals. The suit details an incident where his family members were allegedly subjected to physical restraint and intimidation by ICPC officials when attempting to visit him.

Through his legal counsel, the former governor argued that these actions constitute a grave violation of his fundamental rights to personal dignity, human treatment, and private and family life, as guaranteed under Sections 34 and 37 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Among the nine reliefs sought, El-Rufai is asking the court to declare that his constitutional protections remain intact despite his detention, and that the continuous refusal to allow family access is illegal, unconstitutional, and void. He is praying the court for an order compelling the respondents to grant his family immediate, unrestricted access to him, alongside ₦10 billion in compensation for the infringement on his fundamental rights while in custody.