ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted permission to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to access and analyse electronic devices recovered from the residence of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The order was issued on Thursday by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the anti-corruption agency and moved by its counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
The ICPC had approached the court seeking permission to inspect, conduct forensic examination and extract data from about 14 electronic devices seized during a search of El-Rufai’s residence in Abuja as part of an ongoing investigation.
Among the items listed by the commission are a Sony HD-EGS storage device, ITB Transcend storage device, Toshiba storage device, Samsung mobile phone, Nokia N958GB phone, Blackberry mobile phone and a Google IDEOS device.
Others include a Samsung storage device, a Remarkable tablet, Apple MacBook Pro, Seagate FreeAgent external drive, a ZTE mobile phone, 10 flash drives and a microcell memory card.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik granted the request, authorising the ICPC to access the devices for inspection and forensic extraction of data, including WhatsApp conversations, text messages, photographs, call logs and other information considered relevant to the investigation.
The development comes as El-Rufai is currently before the same court challenging the legality of the search conducted at his residence.
READ ALSO El-Rufai Explains Silence Amid ICPC Probe
In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/345/2026, the former governor is contesting the validity of the search warrant executed at his house in Asokoro, Abuja, and is seeking N1 billion in damages for alleged violation of his fundamental rights.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Chief Magistrate of the Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory, the Nigeria Police Force through the Inspector-General of Police, and the Federal Ministry of Justice represented by the Attorney-General of the Federation.
El-Rufai is asking the court to declare the search warrant issued on February 4 by the Magistrate Court of the Federal Capital Territory invalid, arguing that it lacked particularity, contained drafting errors and failed to establish probable cause.
He also contends that the search conducted on February 19 at his residence on Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja violated his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy.
The former governor further argues that the warrant contravenes provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the ICPC Act 2000, which require specific descriptions of items to be seized and reasonable grounds for suspicion.
He is therefore seeking N1 billion as general, exemplary and aggravated damages for what he described as unlawful invasion, seizure of property, psychological trauma and reputational harm arising from the search.