Court Deals Major Blow To El-Rufai, Dismisses Suit Against EFCC, ICPC

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, seeking to prevent the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other agencies from freezing his bank accounts or seizing his assets.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed the case on Thursday, ruling that it amounted to an abuse of court process because El-Rufai had previously instituted a similar matter before the Federal Capital Territory High Court.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the court also found that the suit was speculative and failed to disclose a reasonable cause of action against some of the respondents.

Justice Abdulmalik consequently struck out the EFCC, Department of State Services and the Attorney-General of the Federation from the proceedings.

The former governor had approached the court seeking orders restraining the agencies from freezing his accounts, taking possession of his properties or forfeiting his assets pending the determination of the substantive matter.

El-Rufai also sought a declaration that the severance benefits he received after completing his tenure as Kaduna governor between 2015 and 2023 were lawfully earned and could not be treated as proceeds of crime.

He argued that he used the funds to acquire properties legally and maintained that any attempt to freeze his accounts or seize his assets without credible evidence would violate his constitutional rights, including his right to fair hearing and the presumption of innocence.

The former governor further requested a perpetual injunction against the agencies and ₦1 billion in damages over alleged psychological trauma, reputational harm and anticipated violations of his rights. He also demanded ₦100 million as litigation costs.

However, the ICPC urged the court to dismiss the case, arguing that it was incompetent and constituted an abuse of judicial process.

The commission contended that El-Rufai had filed multiple cases arising from the same investigation and was seeking substantially similar reliefs before different courts.

It also accused the former governor of forum shopping, citing earlier cases before the Federal High Court and FCT High Court relating to the search of his residence and other actions by law enforcement agencies.

The DSS similarly sought to have its name removed from the case, while the Attorney-General of the Federation argued that El-Rufai’s application was speculative.

The AGF maintained that interim forfeiture orders were legitimate investigative measures and did not automatically amount to a violation of constitutional rights.

Justice Abdulmalik’s ruling therefore represents another legal setback for the former Kaduna governor in his ongoing efforts to challenge actions linked to investigations by government agencies.