The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, challenging the search of his residence in the Federal Capital Territory.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a court filings, the police chief argued that the search carried out at El-Rufai’s house in Asokoro, Abuja, was lawful and executed under a valid warrant issued by a competent court. He insisted that officers who conducted the operation complied with all legal procedures.
El-Rufai had earlier approached the court, seeking ₦1 billion in damages against the police, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), a chief magistrate of the FCT, and the attorney-general of the federation. He alleged that the search of his residence violated his fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, and personal liberty.
The former Governor argued that the warrant used by investigators was defective, claiming it lacked specificity and proper legal justification, and therefore rendered the search unlawful.
However, the IGP rejected those claims in a counter-affidavit, stating that the police have the statutory authority to investigate alleged offences and that the warrant authorising the search was properly obtained and executed.
During the latest proceedings, the hearing was adjourned after El-Rufai’s lawyer informed the court that he had not yet filed a response to the counter-affidavit submitted by the police. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik subsequently postponed the matter to March 25 for further hearing.
The case is part of a broader legal dispute arising from a search conducted by law-enforcement agents at the former governor’s Abuja home earlier this year.
