A High Court in the Federal Capital Territory has dismissed a fundamental rights suit brought by Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, against the Department of State Services (DSS) and other federal agencies. Justice Sylvanus Oriji presided over the case and ruled that the suit was both incompetent and lacking in merit.
The court awarded N200,000 in litigation costs to each of the four respondents, which included the DSS, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
El-Rufai had been detained by security agencies since his arrest in February for allegedly tapping the phone lines of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. In his suit, he claimed that his fundamental rights were breached by the actions of the agencies.
In delivering the judgment, Justice Oriji found that the invitations sent to El-Rufai by the EFCC and ICPC for questioning regarding the allegations against him complied with constitutional standards and did not infringe upon his rights. The court further stated that the DSS was justified in attempting to arrest him at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, as it has a statutory mandate to maintain watchlists and detain persons of interest.
The court also ruled that the seizure of El-Rufai’s international passport by the DSS was lawful, dismissing his claims regarding it as lacking substantive evidence.
Ultimately, the court concluded that El-Rufai’s claims did not meet the required legal standards, resulting in the dismissal of the entire suit.
