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Federal High Court of Nigeria approves request by Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
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Order allows forensic examination of devices recovered from home of former Kaduna governor Nasir El‑Rufai.
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Ruling delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in Abuja.
The Federal High Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja has granted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) permission to access and analyse electronic devices recovered from the residence of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El‑Rufai.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the order on Thursday following an ex-parte motion filed by ICPC counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
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The motion sought authorisation for the commission to inspect, conduct forensic examinations and extract data from the devices as part of an ongoing investigation involving the former governor.
READ ALSO: Court adjourns El-Rufai’s N1bn suit against ICPC to March 25
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), ICPC operatives recovered 14 electronic devices from El-Rufai’s residence in Abuja.
The items include storage devices, mobile phones, a tablet, an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, an external hard drive, several flash drives and a microSD card.
The application forms part of suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/499/2026 titled Federal Republic of Nigeria vs. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.
Meanwhile, El-Rufai has filed a separate fundamental rights enforcement suit challenging the search of his residence conducted on February 19.
In the suit filed through his counsel, Oluwole Iyamu, he is seeking N1 billion in damages, alleging that the operation violated his constitutional rights to dignity, personal liberty, fair hearing and privacy.
He also asked the court to declare any evidence obtained during the search inadmissible and demanded the immediate return of all seized items.
However, the ICPC maintained that the search was conducted under a valid warrant issued on February 18 and executed the following day with the support of the Nigeria Police Force.
In a counter-affidavit, the police, through Inspector Ewa Anthony, also defended the operation, stating that it was carried out in accordance with legal procedures.
The matter is still pending before the court, while the order now allows the ICPC to proceed with forensic analysis of the recovered devices as part of its investigation.
