The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) has disclosed the 15 electronic devices it recovered after searching the Abuja residence of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The agency disclosed this in its filings it submitted at the FCT High Court in Abuja to oppose the fundamental rights enforcement suit instituted by Mr El-Rufai, who is still detained and being interrogated over corruption allegations.
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The filings include a counter-affidavit dated 26 February, sworn by David Efuk, the litigation officer at the ICPC Legal Service Department.
Also included are two documents titled “Device Documentation Form 001.” The documents appear to be completed by Mr El-Rufai, who is still being detained by the ICPC, denying the agency’s operatives consent to access the devices.
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This newspaper reported that the embattled former governor filed a N1 billion suit against ICPC and others at the Federal High Court in Abuja, praying that the court declare the search on his home as invalid, null and void.
On 4 February, a magistrate’s court in Abuja issued a search warrant authorising ICPC and police personnel to search Mr El-Rufai’s residence at House 12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja. Describing the warrant as lacking particularity and containing drafting errors, the former governor argued it is unconstitutional and in breach of Section 37 of the Nigerian constitution which guarantees the right to privacy.
Mohammed Shaba, a principal secretary to the former governor who swore an affidavit filed in support of the suit, stated that the raid amounted to a gross violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under the Nigerian constitution.
Mr Shaba argued that the action violated the former governor’s right to dignity of the human person (Section 34), personal liberty (Section 35), fair hearing (Section 36); and privacy (Section 37).
Devices recovered, ‘phone-tapping’ equipment claim
The declarations in the form attached to the ICPC affidavit comprise 15 devices.
Six of them are identified as storage devices, five as mobile phones, two as tablets and two as laptops.
However, the ICPC said in its counter-affidavit that its agents found “electronic magnetic equipment capable of tapping conversations” during the search on Mr El-Rufai’s home.
The search, according to the commission, was witnessed by his wife, Hadiza and son, Mohammed. A document containing the list of items recovered during the raid was signed by the duo.
A consent form marked as Exhibit ICPC 5 and attached to the counter affidavit shows that 15 electronic devices including laptops and phones were found in Mr El-Rufai’s home. This was in addition to other “sensitive security documents” which the commission said could compromise national security.
The commission noted that Mr El-Rufai refused to give the commission access to the device. It added that Mr El-Rufai refused to respond to questions after he was confronted with the documents retrieved from his home.
The former governor appended to the Exhibit 5, noting that he did not grant consent for “any access to the devices listed as found in my home.”
The search on his home came after Mr El-Rufai made a claim on a live interview on Arise TV that the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu’s phone conversation was tapped, and that he heard the NSA directing security operatives to detain him.
He made the claim a day after security operatives attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Barely three days after making this claim, the State Security Services (SSS) filed a cybercrime charge against Mr El-Rufai, arguing that the alleged interception of the NSA’s phone contravened Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
Family denies phone-tapping claim
On Monday, Bello El-Rufai, Mr El-Rufai’s son and a member of the House of Representatives, denied ICPC’s claim of recovering a phone-tapping device during a search of the former governor’s residence in Abuja.
The statement said only personal effects were taken from the searched home.
“WE WERE PRESENT WHEN THESE ITEMS WERE SEIZED. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones… storage devices like flash drives and laptops… were seized from the property,” the younger El-Rufai said.
According to them, the alleged “sophisticated tapping equipment” exists only “in the fevered imagination of the ICPC and its press team.”
El-Rufai’s travails
The former governor has been in detention since 16 February when he honored an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure. The EFCC invitation, initially issued in December 2025, is part of ongoing investigations into allegations that Mr El-Rufai misappropriated approximately N432 billion in public funds.
READ ALSO: El-Rufai’s N1bn rights suit against ICPC, others suffers setback
Although the EFCC released him on 18 February, he was immediately re-arrested by security operatives with ICPC confirming that it had taken him into custody.
In the counter-affidavit, the ICPC explained that the EFCC released the former governor to SSS which later handed him over to the commission.
The commission said it subsequently obtained a remand order to keep Mr El-Rufai for 14 days. The order which it said was obtained on 19 February will elapse on 5 March.
The ICPC stated that, contrary to the claims made by the former governor in his supporting affidavit, he is being lawfully detained in the commission’s custody and that none of his fundamental rights has been violated as alleged.
Full list of 15 recovered devices
1. Sony / HD- EG5 (Storage)
2. 1 TB Transcend (Storage)
3. A storage device with serial number WX31AA2V2721
4. Toshiba (storage)
5. Samsung (phone)
6 . Nokia N95 8GB (phone)
7. Blackberry (phone)
8. Google IDEOS (phone)
9. Samsung /SP0802N
10. Remarkable tablet (tablet)
11. Remarkable tablet (tablet)
12. Apple Macbook Pro (black)
13. Apple Macbook Pro (black) (laptop)
14. Seagate Freeagent Desk External DRWE (1) (1000 GB) (storage)
15. ZTE mobile phone (phone)
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