Alleged Wiretapping: Court Dismisses El-Rufai’s ₦120m Right Enforcement Suit Against DSS, ICPC, Others
The court awarded ₦200,000 each in favour of DSS, ICPC, AGF, EFCC. The post Alleged Wiretapping: Court Dismisses El-Rufai’s ₦120m Right Enforcement Suit Against DSS, ICPC, Others appeared first on Channels Television.
Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State's immediate past governor, had dragged the Department of State Services (DSS), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, seeking ₦120 million in damages. He alleged that the agencies unlawfully wiretapped his communications, a claim he framed as a violation of his fundamental rights to privacy under the Nigerian Constitution.
Fundamental rights enforcement suits are a common legal tool used by Nigerians, including prominent public figures, to challenge alleged abuses by security and anti-graft agencies, though such cases often turn on technical and evidential thresholds that can lead to dismissal regardless of the underlying allegations. The coverage across outlets agrees the suit was thrown out and that the court additionally ordered El-Rufai to pay ₦200,000 each to the respondent agencies, but none of the reports yet detail the court's specific reasoning for dismissing the case or whether El-Rufai intends to appeal.