The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) permission to play selected closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings in a fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Justice Chigozie Onah delivered the ruling on Thursday, October 22, 2026, in Abuja, allowing both the ICPC and El-Rufai 20 minutes each to present relevant portions of the recordings. The court, however, rejected the former governor's request to have more than six hours of footage played in full during open proceedings.
The recordings form part of evidence in a ₦10 billion lawsuit in which El-Rufai accuses the anti-corruption commission of unlawfully restricting access to his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba, while he was in custody.
The judge explained that the court could not devote several hours to viewing the complete recordings and accepted the ICPC's argument that some portions contained sensitive information concerning security arrangements at its premises.
Justice Onah ruled that any examination of the entire footage, if necessary, should take place in his chambers rather than in open court.
He consequently permitted both parties to select portions they considered relevant to the dispute, giving each side equal time to present the recordings.
The court also rejected El-Rufai's application seeking permission to cross-examine two ICPC officials who provided affidavit evidence in the proceedings.
Justice Onah explained that fundamental rights enforcement proceedings are generally determined through affidavit evidence and declined to grant the additional reliefs sought in the application.
El-Rufai instituted the suit on August 13, 2026, through his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, naming the ICPC, its chairman, Musa Aliyu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026, seeks ₦10 billion in damages over the alleged denial of access to members of his immediate family during his detention.
The former governor argues that his constitutional rights remain protected despite being held in custody and that the commission was obliged to respect those rights.
In response, the ICPC disputed his allegations and maintained that restrictions on family visits were introduced because of security concerns.
In an affidavit, John Uche, an official of the commission's Internal Security Support Unit, stated that El-Rufai was being detained pursuant to an order of the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
Uche alleged that a medical visit arranged for the former governor on July 7 was subsequently turned into a political meeting, contrary to the commission's security procedures.
He said the development prompted a review of access arrangements and temporary restrictions on visits considered non-essential.
The ICPC official also alleged that El-Rufai's wife entered the commission's premises on July 4 after official visiting hours with the assistance of some personnel who were subsequently subjected to disciplinary proceedings.
The commission further disputed the former governor's account of an incident involving his son, Abba, at its premises on July 7.
According to the ICPC, CCTV recordings captured activities relevant to the disputed incidents and could assist the court in determining what occurred.
The commission therefore sought permission to play three selected recordings, identified as The Scuffle, The Son Being Taken Away and Unauthorised Entry.
El-Rufai, however, challenged the use of selected clips without the complete recordings.
His legal team argued that the commission controlled the surveillance system and should produce the full footage, together with relevant visitor registers and entry records.
The former governor maintained that viewing only selected portions could prevent the court from properly assessing the sequence of events.
He also disputed the ICPC's description of the incidents involving his wife and son, arguing that additional recordings could support his account.
The competing claims have made the CCTV evidence a central issue in the proceedings.
Thursday's ruling does not establish whether the commission unlawfully denied El-Rufai access to his family or whether its security restrictions were justified.
Instead, it determines how the disputed recordings may be presented as evidence during the hearing.
Justice Onah adjourned the matter until November 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. for the hearing of the substantive applications.
The court will subsequently consider the parties' evidence and legal arguments before determining whether El-Rufai's fundamental rights were violated.
The case is separate from other legal proceedings involving the former governor, including corruption-related prosecutions and additional fundamental rights suits.
For now, both parties have secured permission to present selected CCTV evidence, while the request for a complete public screening has been refused.
The substantive dispute over El-Rufai's treatment while in ICPC custody remains unresolved.
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