Court Allows Selected CCTV Footage In El-Rufai’s N10bn Suit Against ICPC

Court Allows Selected CCTV Footage in el-Rufai’s N10bn Suit Against ICPC The Federal High Court in Abuja has authorised the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to play selected portions of its closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in the N10 billion fundamental rights suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai. Justice Chigozie Onah, in a ruling on separate applications by the parties, rejected el-Rufai’s request for the complete footage, which reportedly spans more than six hours.Instead, the court directed that each side be allowed 20 minutes to play selected portions of the recordings in open court. The judge agreed with ICPC counsel, Yetunde Mosunmola, that playing the entire footage publicly could expose sensitive security information about the commission’s facility and create potential security risks. Justice Onah, however, stated that if the complete recordings needed to be examined, they could be viewed in his chambers. The court also rejected el-Rufai’s application seeking the appearance of two ICPC officials who swore affidavits in the commission’s court filings for cross-examination. According to the judge, fundamental rights enforcement proceedings are determined on affidavit evidence, explaining why the request could not be granted. El-Rufai instituted the N10 billion suit against the ICPC, its chairman, Musa Aliyu, and the Attorney-General of the Federation, alleging that he was denied access to his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba, while in the commission’s custody. As part of its defence, the ICPC submitted CCTV recordings on a USB storage device, identifying selected clips it said were relevant to the disputed events at its facility. The commission maintained that the recordings would assist the court in determining the facts surrounding the incidents. It also argued that unrestricted access to visitors had raised security concerns. El-Rufai, however, sought the production of the complete, unedited recordings for specific dates in June and July 2026, alongside visitor registers and other records. He argued that the selected clips did not provide the full account of the events in dispute. He also maintained that the officials involved should be available for questioning over how the recordings were selected, copied and certified. Following its ruling, the court directed that the selected footage be played at 1 p.m. and adjourned the case until November 3 for the definite hearing of the substantive applications. The court’s decision concerns the presentation of evidence in the ongoing suit; it does not determine the merits of el-Rufai’s fundamental rights claims.