ICPC gets court permission to examine devices recovered from El-Rufai’s Abuja home
ICPC gets court permission to examine devices recovered from El-Rufai’s Abuja home
By John Okezie
The Abuja division of the Federal High Court has granted an order allowing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to access and analyse about 14 sets of electric devices it recovered during a search of the Abuja residence of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the permission yesterday in her ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the ICPC and moved by its counsel, Dr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
The anti-graft agency told the court that it needed to access the devices for the purposes of inspection, forensic examination and forensic extraction of data in furtherance of its ongoing investigation of the ex-governor.
The devices according to court documents, include a Sony HD-EGS storage device, a ITB Transcend storage device, Toshiba storage device, Samsung mobile phone, Nokia mobile phone – N958GB, Blackberry mobile phone device and a Google IDEOS phone.
Others are Samsung storage device-SPO802N, Remarkable tablet, Apple MacBook Pro – black, Seagate Freeagent desk external drive, ZTE mobile phone, 10 pieces of flash drives and Microcell memory card.
Justice Abdulmalik, in the ruling, said: “It is hereby ordered as follows: That the applicant, i.e. the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is forthwith granted access the above listed devices for inspection, forensic examination, forensic extraction of data i.e. public documents, WhatsApp conversations, text messages, pictures, call logs and related information and analyse same forensically or otherwise from the said electronic devices which were seized in the course of investigation for purpose of investigation activity.”
Meanwhile, El-Rufai is before the same court, challenging the search of his house and seeking among others, N1billion compensation.
In the suit marked FHC/ ABJ/ CS/345/2026, he listed the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the Chief Magistrate at the Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja; the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as defendants.
El-Rufai is, by the suit, challenging the propriety of the recent search of his Asokoro, Abuja house by agents of the ICPC, during which some items were recovered.
