Court Dismisses El-Rufai’s Suit Against ICPC, DSS

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai seeking to restrain the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Department of State Services (DSS) and other agencies from freezing his bank accounts or seizing his assets.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed the suit on Thursday after ruling that it amounted to an abuse of court process, following arguments that El-Rufai had instituted similar proceedings before other courts.

The former governor had sued the ICPC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), DSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), seeking to prevent the agencies from taking steps against his financial assets.

The respondents opposed the suit, arguing that El-Rufai had filed overlapping cases before the Federal Capital Territory High Court and the Federal High Court. They maintained that pursuing similar claims in courts of coordinate jurisdiction could result in conflicting decisions.

The ICPC told the court that El-Rufai had earlier filed a suit challenging a search warrant and seeking enforcement of his fundamental rights. He subsequently instituted another action at the FCT High Court challenging a remand order.

The commission argued that the latest suit duplicated issues already before the courts and should therefore be dismissed.

The DSS also urged the court to strike out the suit, arguing that the case was incompetent and failed to establish a reasonable cause of action against the service.

Similarly, the Attorney-General of the Federation opposed the application, maintaining that an interim forfeiture order was not a final determination of ownership but a measure that could allow an investigation to proceed.

The AGF’s representative, Maimuna Lami-Shiru, argued that applying for an interim forfeiture order did not automatically amount to a violation of El-Rufai’s fundamental rights. She said the relevant agencies were legally empowered to seek forfeiture orders from courts with jurisdiction during investigations.

The government’s lawyer also described some of the former governor’s claims as speculative and urged the court to dismiss the case.

The ruling comes amid other legal proceedings involving El-Rufai and security agencies over investigations, searches and his detention.