A fresh legal battle has erupted between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s family and the ICPC.
Aichatou El-Rufai, the ex-governor’s wife, is threatening to sue the anti-graft agency over a defamatory May 18, 2026, press release.
Through her lawyers, Mrs. El-Rufai has issued a pre-action notice demanding ₦2 billion in damages, claiming the publication severely damaged her reputation and exposed her to public ridicule.
The disputed statement was titled, “Clarification on the Access Control Protocol at ICPC Headquarters, Abuja,” and was signed by the commission’s spokesperson, J. Okor Odey.
According to her lawyers, several portions of the statement were defamatory and deliberately crafted to portray her negatively before members of the public.
The legal team particularly faulted the section where the ICPC allegedly referred to her as a woman who identified herself as the wife of a defendant.
Her lawyers argued that the wording cast doubt on her identity and status as the legally married wife of the former Kaduna governor.
They further accused the commission of attempting to portray her as dishonest by describing some of her public comments as false and misleading.
The notice also challenged claims by the anti-corruption agency that Mrs El-Rufai violated visitation procedures during her visit to the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
According to the lawyers, such allegations painted her as someone unwilling to obey laid down rules and procedures at a federal institution.
The legal team maintained that the commission’s remarks regarding her comments on food access for her husband while in custody were also unfair and damaging.
They insisted that the publication suggested she contradicted herself publicly, thereby exposing her to embarrassment and attacks on social media and other public platforms.
Mrs El-Rufai’s lawyers further accused the commission of trying to depict her actions as a calculated attempt to gain public sympathy and media attention.
According to the notice, the statement was widely circulated across several local and international media platforms, leading to reputational harm and emotional distress.
Her legal representatives described her as a respected private citizen with a clean public record, stressing that the commission used its official platform to malign her character.
As part of the demands presented to the ICPC, the lawyers asked the agency to immediately retract the statements and publish a public apology in at least three national newspapers.
They also requested that the apology be posted across the commission’s official website and social media platforms.
In addition, the legal team demanded ₦2 billion as general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the alleged defamatory publication.
The lawyers also requested a written undertaking from the commission assuring that similar statements would not be made against Mrs El-Rufai in the future.
The notice gave the anti-corruption agency 14 days to comply with the demands or face legal proceedings.
