Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a formal petition and pre-action notice against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N15.6 billion in damages over what he described as his unlawful detention and other alleged violations.

The petition, dated March 4, 2026, was written by a legal team led by Ubong Akpan and submitted to the anti-graft agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

El-Rufai has reportedly been in the custody of the ICPC since February 18, 2026, when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) granted him bail in an ongoing investigation.

The latest legal move marks another chapter in the growing dispute between the former governor and the anti-corruption agency.

Earlier, El-Rufai had filed a N1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the ICPC following a raid by operatives of the commission on his residence.

In the new petition, however, the former governor is seeking N15.6 billion in damages for alleged offences including defamation, abuse of office, forgery, uttering of false documents, malicious prosecution, contempt of court and violation of his fundamental rights.

His counsel, Akpan, described a statement earlier issued by the commission concerning El-Rufai as reckless, defamatory and legally unsustainable.

According to the petition, the commission’s actions had undermined the principles of fairness and due process expected of a law enforcement institution.

The legal team argued that the ICPC, an agency established to combat corruption and uphold integrity in public service, had allegedly acted outside its lawful mandate in the matter.

Part of the petition criticised the commission’s public communication on the issue, accusing it of conducting what it described as a “media trial.”

The lawyers stated that the correspondence served as a formal pre-action notice and the final opportunity for the commission to address the grievances before the matter proceeds to court.

The petition warned that failure to resolve the issues raised could result in full legal action against the agency.

According to the legal team, the damages being sought reflect the alleged harm suffered by the former governor as a result of the commission’s actions.

The breakdown of the claims includes N5 billion as compensatory damages and another N5 billion as exemplary or punitive damages.

An additional N5 billion is being demanded as aggravated damages.

The petition also seeks N500 million as damages for injurious falsehood allegedly caused by the commission’s statements.

A further N100 million is claimed as the cost of legal action, bringing the total demand to N15.6 billion.

As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had yet to issue an official response to the petition.