Legal disputes between ICPC and Nasir El-Rufai

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai are engaged in a series of legal disputes.

In July 2026, the ICPC petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to investigate Professor Bello Abubakar, a consultant oncologist. The commission alleged that Abubakar issued a medical report for El-Rufai that was used to support bail applications in corruption cases, despite the National Hospital in Abuja having no record of El-Rufai as a patient.

By August 2026, El-Rufai filed a ₦10 billion lawsuit against the ICPC, the agency’s Chairman, and the Attorney-General of the Federation. Filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and represented by lawyer Ubong Akpan, the suit alleges that the commission violated his fundamental rights by preventing his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai, from accessing him during his detention.

El-Rufai claims this denial prevented the delivery of essential food and medication. He further alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his family members on July 7. The lawsuit seeks court declarations to protect his rights to dignity, privacy, and family life as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.