El-Rufai’s Lawyer Threatens Lawsuit Over ICPC Detention
Last update: March 6, 2026
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El-Rufai's lawyer accuses ICPC of unlawfully detaining his client, demands immediate release...
Lawyer to former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Ubong Akpan, has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of unlawfully detaining his client and demanded his immediate release.
In a letter dated March 6, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the ICPC, Akpan warned the anti-corruption agency that its continued detention of El-Rufai could attract personal legal consequences for its leadership.
He cautioned that “every hour he remains in your custody is a separate and distinct tort of false imprisonment for which you will be held personally liable.”
CBI News reports that Akpan criticised the conduct of the commission over the past two weeks, describing it as a serious abuse of the legal process and a disregard for judicial authority.
According to him, “what we have witnessed from the Commission over the past 15 days is nothing short of an absolute disgrace to the practice of law, a contumacious disregard for judicial authority, and a borderline criminal abuse of the court system that would shame any law enforcement agency in any civilized jurisdiction.”
The lawyer further alleged that the ICPC treated the liberty of El-Rufai as something to be manipulated through questionable legal tactics.
He accused the commission of engaging in forum shopping and making misleading representations to the court.
Akpan listed several alleged acts of misconduct by the commission, including approaching a magistrate court over money-laundering allegations, which he described as forum shopping and an abuse of court process.
He also alleged that the ICPC obtained a remand order from a court that lacked jurisdiction, describing it as “fraud on the court” and a legal nullity.
Other allegations raised in the letter included making sworn representations that were later breached, which he characterised as perjury and fraud on the court, and failing to serve the remand order on El-Rufai, which he said violated the right to fair hearing.
He further accused the commission of detaining the former governor for 15 days without formally charging him to court, describing the action as unlawful detention and a violation of Section 35 of the Constitution.
Akpan also criticised the commission for filing an application to renew the detention order before a court he said lacked jurisdiction, calling it an abuse of court process and contempt of court.
According to him, the attempt to renew what he described as a void order amounted to “legal absurdity,” citing the legal principle in Macfoy v. U.A.C.
The lawyer said the ICPC had earlier given an undertaking on oath that El-Rufai would be charged to court before the expiration of a 14-day remand warrant.
Instead of doing so, he alleged that the commission continued to hold him in custody while attempting to obtain a fresh remand order from a magistrate court.
Akpan, therefore, demanded that the ICPC immediately withdraw what he described as a “purported Motion Ex-Parte” seeking the renewal of El-Rufai’s detention before the Chief Magistrate Court in Bwari.
He also demanded a public apology from the anti-corruption agency to his client.
“We demand that you publish a public apology to our Client in three national newspapers, acknowledging your wrongful conduct and the violation of his fundamental rights,” the letter stated.
In addition, Akpan is seeking N2 billion in damages as well as the cost of the legal action.
The lawyer further warned that he would escalate the matter to other authorities if the situation was not addressed.
He said the issue would be referred to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.
He added, “We shall be referring this matter to the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector-General of Police for the investigation and prosecution of the officers who swore to false affidavits in support of the original application and the purported renewal application.”
Akpan also said plans were underway to file a formal complaint with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee against lawyers working with the ICPC who were involved in the matter.
“We shall be lodging a formal complaint with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee against every legal practitioner in the employ of the ICPC who has participated in this disgraceful conduct, seeking their striking off the roll for conduct unbecoming of legal practitioners,” he said.
