By Muhammad Mamman
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has approached a Federal High Court seeking an order to restrain Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption and security agencies from allegedly moving to freeze his bank accounts and seize his assets.
In a suit filed through his legal team, El-Rufai asked the court to issue an interim injunction preventing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the State Security Service (SSS) from taking what he described as “unlawful and unconstitutional steps” to restrict access to his financial assets.
According to court documents seen by reporters, the former governor argued that no formal charge, investigation outcome, or court order has been served on him to justify the freezing of his accounts. He maintained that any such action without due process would amount to a violation of his fundamental rights, including the right to own property and to fair hearing as enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution.
El-Rufai is also seeking a declaration that any directive or instruction issued to financial institutions to place a lien on his accounts without a valid court order is null and void. He urged the court to protect him from what he termed “administrative overreach” by state agencies.
The ICPC, EFCC and SSS have yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit at the time of filing this report.
Legal analysts say the case could test the boundaries of the investigative powers of anti-corruption bodies, particularly in relation to asset preservation orders and pre-charge enforcement measures.
