Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El Rufai has suffered a legal setback in his ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and others, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
El-Rufai filed the lawsuit on 20th February at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He asked the court to declare that a search of his Abuja home was illegal and violated his rights to privacy, dignity, personal liberty and fair hearing under the Constitution.
He also wants the court to stop the ICPC and others from using any items taken during the search and demand ₦1 billion in damages for the alleged violations.
However, the proceedings faced a setback after the judge handling the case withdrew from the matter.
This means the case must now be reassigned to a new judge before it can continue, slowing the legal process.
In the original suit, El-Rufai challenged a warrant used by the anti-graft agency in the search of his home in Asokoro on 19th February saying the warrant was defective, vague and lacked probable cause, rendering the search unlawful.
He said any evidence taken should be considered invalid and asked for its return.
El-Rufai also listed the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents in the case.
The setback adds to a series of legal challenges as investigations continue into alleged misconduct linked to his time in office.
The court has not yet fixed a new date for the hearing to resume.
