El-Rufai vs ICPC: Court filing lists documents, devices recovered

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has revealed the list of documents and electronic devices it says were taken from the Abuja home of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.

The commission shared the details in court documents filed at the Federal Capital Territory High Court. This was in response to a N1 billion lawsuit filed by El-Rufai, where he accused the agency of illegally arresting and detaining him, and unlawfully searching his home.

According to the ICPC, its officers carried out the search with a valid warrant issued on February 18 and executed on February 19 at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja. The agency said its officials were joined by officers of the Nigeria Police Force. The search was reportedly witnessed by his wife, Hadiza El-Rufai, and his son, Mohammed El-Rufai.

The commission said it recovered several documents, including investor account statements, asset declaration forms, company registration papers, compliance records, loan documents approved by the Kaduna State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023, and investigation reports linked to El-Rufai and his associates.

Other items allegedly seized include share certificates, land documents, student financial records, property documents, powers of attorney for different properties, venture capital documents, payment instructions, and media materials from his office.

The ICPC also listed electronic devices recovered from the house. These include nine flash drives, one memory card, seven hard drives, several laptops (including Apple MacBook Pro and Elumac Book Pro), different mobile phones, 18 other electronic devices, and a Remarkable tablet with chargers.

The agency said all the items were properly recorded and sealed for forensic examination. It added that El-Rufai noted in the documentation that he did not give consent for access to any of the devices.

The commission stated that the materials would be examined as part of ongoing investigations into alleged corruption and asset concealment.

In response, El-Rufai’s family accused the ICPC of trying to treat his silence during questioning as evidence of guilt. In a statement signed by his son, Bello El-Rufai, they challenged the commission to charge him to court if there was any case against him.

The family also claimed that only personal items were taken from the house and described the search warrant as invalid. They said their lawyers have already challenged the warrant in court.

Since leaving office in 2023, El-Rufai has faced several investigations. In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly called for a probe into the alleged diversion of N423 billion during his time in office.

The ICPC maintained that its actions were lawful and part of its duty to investigate corruption-related offences.