The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has dismissed a N120m fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai against the Department of State Services (DSS) and three other respondents.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji dismissed the suit for lacking merit, ruling that El-Rufai failed to establish that the actions of the security and anti-corruption agencies violated his fundamental rights.
The court also ordered the former governor to pay N200,000 in costs to each of the four respondents, bringing the total to N800,000.
The respondents are the DSS, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
In his judgment, Justice Oriji held that invitation letters issued to El-Rufai by the EFCC and ICPC to appear for questioning over allegations against him did not violate his constitutional rights.
The judge also upheld the DSS’s authority to place persons of interest on its watchlist and take appropriate action, including arrest where legally justified.
On the alleged attempt to arrest El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the court rejected his argument that the action breached his fundamental rights.
Justice Oriji equally dismissed his challenge to the seizure of his international passport, ruling that the action fell within the DSS’s lawful powers.
The court said El-Rufai had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that the seizure was continuous, permanent and unlawful.
The judge further held that the former governor could not use the court to prevent law enforcement agencies from performing their statutory duties.
The suit challenged actions taken by the agencies, including the attempted airport arrest, passport seizure and invitations for questioning over allegations against him.
With the dismissal, El-Rufai’s claims against the four respondents were rejected in their entirety.
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