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Court Permits ICPC to Access, Analyse Devices Recovered from El-Rufai’s House
Alex Enumah in Abuja
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of a Federal High Court in Abuja, has granted permission to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to access and analyse data from electronics devises it recently recovered from the Abuja residence of the former governor of Kaduna State.
The judge gave the permission yesterday, while delivering ruling in an ex-parte application filed and moved by the commission’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha.
The anti-corruption agency claimed 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 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, ordered the 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.
While the commission is investigating the former governor on alleged corruption and abuse of office when he was governor of Kaduna State, the Department of State Service (DSS), on the other hand has already charged the former governor for allegedly wiretapping the phone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai has been in custody of the ICPC since February 18, when he was released from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The order for his remand for a fresh 14 days was issued last Thursday, after the initial one by a Magistrate Court in Bwari, Abuja, expired on March 5, 2026.
The ICPC had last month following a search order entered the Abuja residence of El-Rufai and obtained the said electronic devices among other documents, in the presence of his wife and son.
