Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a fresh N10 billion fundamental rights suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleging that the agency denied his wife and son access to him while in custody.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on August 13, 2026.

El-Rufai, through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, joined the ICPC Chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as the second and third defendants respectively.

In the suit, the former governor alleged that ICPC officials prevented his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, from visiting him, despite an earlier court order granting him access to his family and counsel.

He is seeking nine reliefs from the court, including a declaration that his fundamental rights under Part IV of the 1999 Constitution remain enforceable despite his detention.

El-Rufai alleged that the repeated denial of access to his family, particularly their inability to provide him with food, medication and other necessities, violated his constitutional rights to dignity and privacy.

He also alleged that ICPC officers physically restrained and intimidated his wife and son on July 7, describing the incident as an arbitrary interference with his family relationships.

The former governor is asking the court to declare that the continued denial of family access without lawful authority is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void.

He is also seeking an order directing the respondents to grant him “unhindered and reasonable access” to members of his family and counsel throughout his detention, as earlier directed by the Federal High Court.

According to El-Rufai, the alleged restrictions have subjected him to humiliation, emotional trauma, anxiety and psychological distress.

In an affidavit filed in support of the suit, his Principal Secretary, Mohammed Shaba, said the former governor was being detained at the ICPC office in Abuja.

Shaba said El-Rufai’s wife had previously been responsible for providing him with food, clothing, medication and other personal necessities while he was in custody.

He recalled that Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna Division, had on April 1 ordered the ICPC to allow defendants access to their lawyers and personal physicians whenever necessary.

Shaba argued that the order reinforced the principle that detainees should not be held incommunicado and that the conditions of detention remained subject to judicial oversight.

He further maintained that El-Rufai retained his fundamental rights under the Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, including the right to humane treatment and reasonable access to family members.

The affidavit stated that Asabe regularly visited her husband and supplied meals and other items before July 7, when the alleged restriction began.

The latest suit is the latest in a series of legal actions instituted by El-Rufai against the ICPC since the commission began investigating him.

In February, the former governor filed a separate N1 billion fundamental rights suit over an alleged search of his Abuja residence.

That case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, challenged the validity of a search warrant issued by a Chief Magistrate of the FCT Magistrates’ Court.

El-Rufai alleged that the search violated his rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy under Sections 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the Constitution.

The suit was subsequently amended, with El-Rufai dropping the magistrate who issued the warrant as a defendant.