El-Rufai's Son Alleges Forged Warrant in ICPC Raid
Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, son of former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of using a forged warrant during a recent raid on his father’s Abuja residence and seizing only outdated personal electronic devices, not "sophisticated tapping equipment."
Bello El-Rufai, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed deep concern, describing the ICPC's actions as a "circus of chicanery." He further alleged that the commission is attempting to "weaponize el-Rufai's silence" against him. The former Governor has been in ICPC custody since 18th February 2026, following his bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after questioning regarding alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State.
Claims of Forged Warrant and Fabricated Evidence
Bello El-Rufai asserted that his family possesses credible evidence indicating that the investigation warrant used by the ICPC was forged and fraudulently procured. He contested the commission's public statements regarding the items seized during the raid. According to Bello, only "old discarded personal mobile phones, some dating back as much as 20 years, storage devices like flash drives, and laptops," all standard possessions for a 21st-century citizen, were confiscated from the property.
He vehemently dismissed the ICPC's claims of seizing "sophisticated tapping equipment" and "sensitive security documents," stating that these exist "only in the fevered imagination of the ICPC and its press team." Bello concluded that "the entire foundation of this investigation is rotten."
Legal Challenges and Procedural Irregularities
The statement highlighted a significant procedural flaw, noting that the search warrant purportedly originated from a Magistrate "who was, bizarrely, purporting to sit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory." Bello described this as an "illegality of this magnitude—a forgery at the very inception of a state-sponsored search—renders everything that follows it inadmissible and void."
The family's lawyers have already challenged this "illegitimate warrant" in a court of competent jurisdiction. Bello challenged the ICPC to explain in court "how a Magistrate conjured the jurisdiction of a High Court to sign a warrant based on false premises."
Accusations of Unprofessional Conduct
Bello El-Rufai further accused the ICPC of unprofessional conduct and abuse of office, stating that the commission's press statement was "a textbook example of projection, the guilty person ascribing his crimes to his victim." He described the document as "riddled with the very offenses it is meant to combat," including "forgery, uttering of false documents, and the peddling of falsehood that is nothing short of criminality."
He concluded that such behaviour is indicative of "an organization that has been completely captured and weaponized" and is "so bereft of any redeeming feature of credibility that it must now manufacture evidence to justify its existence." The family has instructed their legal team to pursue all available legal remedies to challenge the illegal search, the forged warrant, and the defamatory statements made by the ICPC, expressing "absolute faith that the Nigerian judiciary will see through this shameful charade and uphold the rights of our family against this executive overreach."
(SOURCE: https://dailytrust.com)