Court Rejects El-Rufai’s Bid To Play Full ICPC CCTV Footage

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s request to play greater than six hours of closed-circuit tv (CCTV) footage in open courtroom in his N10bn basic rights go well with towards the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Justice Chigozie Onah, nevertheless, granted the ICPC’s utility to play chosen parts of the recordings, limiting each events to twenty minutes every to current the footage in courtroom.

The ruling adopted separate functions by El-Rufai and the anti-corruption company over CCTV recordings of incidents on the fee’s facility involving the previous governor’s household whereas he was in detention.

El-Rufai is searching for N10 billion in damages, alleging that the ICPC unlawfully prevented him from accessing his spouse, Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, throughout his detention.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Onah mentioned the courtroom couldn’t be become a viewing centre, including that it didn’t have adequate time to observe recordings spanning greater than six hours.

The decide additionally agreed with the ICPC’s argument that the footage contained delicate safety info that would expose its facility to safety breaches if performed in full in open courtroom.

He mentioned that if the whole recordings have been to be considered, the train must happen in his chambers.

The courtroom consequently directed each events to play related parts of the footage inside their allotted 20 minutes every.

Justice Onah additionally rejected El-Rufai’s request to compel two ICPC officers who swore affidavits within the case to look for cross-examination.

The decide held that basic rights enforcement proceedings are decided primarily by way of affidavit proof and declined to grant the request. He additionally refused the opposite reliefs sought by the previous governor.

The matter was adjourned till November 3 at 1pm for the particular listening to of the substantive functions.

The dispute centres on three CCTV clips submitted by the ICPC as proof in response to El-Rufai’s allegations.

The fee recognized the clips as “The Scuffle,” “The Son Being Taken Away” and “Unauthorised Entry,” arguing that the recordings would assist the courtroom set up what occurred throughout the disputed incidents.

In an utility filed on August 3, the ICPC and its chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, requested the courtroom for permission to play the related parts of the footage utilizing applicable audiovisual gear.

The fee maintained that the recordings captured occasions related to the case and would help the courtroom in figuring out the sequence of occasions, the individuals concerned and their conduct.

El-Rufai, nevertheless, challenged the fee’s choice to submit chosen clips slightly than the whole recordings.

In his utility filed on September 9, the previous governor requested the courtroom to compel the ICPC to supply unedited CCTV footage protecting June 7, July 4 and July 7, 2026.

He additionally sought the manufacturing of customer registers, entry and exit information, and different paperwork regarding visits by his spouse and different members of the family to the fee’s premises.

The former governor additional requested the courtroom to summon Sadiq Musa Baba, who licensed the CCTV exhibit, and John Uche, the ICPC official who deposed to the fee’s counter-affidavit, for questioning over the choice, copying and certification of the recordings.

He argued that the three clips submitted by the fee didn’t set up that the recordings represented every little thing captured by its cameras.

According to El-Rufai, the fee managed the CCTV cameras, storage programs and customer information however had failed to supply the whole footage for the disputed durations.

He alleged that omitted parts of the July 7 recordings confirmed his son being dragged, along with his leg trapped in a gutter, whereas one other phase allegedly confirmed an officer falling right into a ditch.

El-Rufai argued that the pictures contradicted the account contained within the fee’s counter-affidavit.

He additionally maintained that footage from June 7 would present that the ICPC invited his spouse into its premises on the primary evening of his detention, whereas recordings from July 4 would assist check the fee’s allegation that she was smuggled into the ability after visiting hours.

The former governor argued that the officers liable for the recordings needs to be obtainable for questioning to ascertain whether or not extra footage existed and why it had not been produced.