Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has withdrawn his fundamental rights enforcement suit against a chief magistrate of the FCT Magistrate’s Court in his ₦1 billion claim.
Counsel for the ex-governor, Ugochukwu Nnakwu, informed Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that a motion had been filed to strike out the magistrate, listed as the 2nd defendant, from the suit.
The request was granted, and the court also struck out a pending motion seeking substituted service.
The withdrawal followed earlier observations by the judge faulting the suit for failing to properly identify the magistrate involved.
Although Nnakwu sought time to amend the suit, counsel to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Abdul Mohammed, SAN, opposed the move, arguing that the core claims were tied to the magistrate’s actions and that removing the defendant effectively weakened the case.
The court, however, allowed the plaintiff to proceed and adjourned the matter to June 17 for amendment.
El-Rufai’s suit challenges the February 19 search of his Abuja residence by the ICPC and the police, which he described as unlawful and a violation of his constitutional rights, including dignity, liberty, fair hearing, and privacy.
He is seeking ₦1 billion in damages and orders to exclude any evidence obtained during the operation and to return seized items.
In response, the ICPC maintained that the search was conducted lawfully based on a valid warrant issued a day earlier, while the police also defended the operation as compliant with due process.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
