Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence.
El-Rufai, through his team of lawyers led by Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, is challenging the validity of a search warrant issued on February 4 by the Chief Magistrate of the Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, listed as the 2nd respondent in the suit.
In the originating motion on notice, the former governor sued ICPC as the 1st respondent, while the Chief Magistrate, Magistrate’s Court of the FCT, Abuja Magisterial District; the Inspector-General of Police (I-G); and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) were named as 2nd to 4th respondents respectively.
In the suit dated and filed on February 20 by Iyamu, El-Rufai sought seven reliefs. He prayed the court to declare that the search warrant authorising the search and seizure at his residence was invalid, null and void.
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He urged the court to declare that the search warrant was “null and void for lack of particularity, material drafting errors, ambiguity in execution parameters, overbreadth, and absence of probable cause thereby constituting an unlawful and unreasonable search in violation of Section 37 of the Constitution.”
这位前州长还请求法院宣告,2月19日下午约2时,ICPC和警察总监的代理人“依据上述无效搜查令”对其位于阿布贾Aso Drive Mambilla街12号的住所进行的入侵和搜查,“严重侵犯了申请人依据宪法第34、35、36和37条享有的个人尊严、人身自由、公平听证和隐私的基本权利。”
他进一步敦促法院宣告“依据上述无效搜查令和非法搜查获得的任何证据,在针对申请人的任何诉讼中均不可采纳,因为这些证据是在违反宪法保障的情况下取得的。”
因此,埃尔-鲁法伊寻求一项禁令,禁止被告及其代理人在涉及他的任何调查、起诉或诉讼中进一步依赖、使用或提交在非法搜查期间扣押的任何证据或物品。
他还寻求:“一项命令,指示第一和第三被告(ICPC和警察总监)立即归还非法搜查期间从申请人住所扣押的所有物品,并附上详细清单。”
“一项命令,判给申请人10亿奈拉(10亿奈拉)作为一般、惩戒性和加重损害赔偿,由被告共同和分别承担,以弥补对申请人基本权利的侵犯,包括非法侵入、非法扣押以及由此造成的心理创伤、羞辱、痛苦、隐私侵犯和名誉损害。”
埃尔-鲁法伊将10亿奈拉的损害赔偿细分为:“3亿奈拉作为心理创伤、情绪困扰和个人安全感丧失的补偿性损害赔偿;
4亿奈拉作为惩戒性损害赔偿,以威慑执法机构未来的不当行为并维护申请人的权利。
3亿奈拉作为加重损害赔偿,以惩罚被告行为的恶意、专横和压迫性质,包括使用通过误导性陈述获得的明显有缺陷的搜查令。”
他还要求1亿奈拉作为提起诉讼的费用,包括律师费和相关开支。
在其论据中,伊亚穆主张该搜查令存在根本性缺陷,缺乏对拟扣押物品描述的具体性,包含实质性笔误、模糊的执行条款、过宽的指令,且没有可验证的合理根据。
他认为这违反了2015年《刑事司法管理法》(ACJA)第143至148条、2000年ICPC法案第36条以及宪法对任意侵入的保护。
具体而言,伊亚穆辩称,ACJA第143条要求搜查令申请必须以书面和宣誓信息支持,并陈述合理怀疑的理由,而本案中由于起始条款不完整,这一要求并未满足。
他说,第144条要求对搜查地点和拟搜查物品进行具体描述,以防止概括性搜查令。
然而,他辩称,本案中的搜查令模糊地提及“上述物品”,未提供任何细节。
“第146条规定搜查令必须采用规定格式,不得存在可能误导的缺陷,但该文件在地址、日期和地区指定方面错误百出;
“第147条允许指示特定人员,但搜查令不加区分地针对‘所有官员’过于宽泛且无法问责。
“第148条允许在合理时间执行,但矛盾的语言造成模糊,破坏了程序清晰性,”他陈述道。
伊亚穆表示,2月19日执行无效搜查令导致对其当事人住所的非法入侵,构成对宪法第34条(尊严)、第35条(人身自由)、第36条(公平听证)和第37条(隐私)权利的侵犯。
他进一步辩称,搜查是在没有法律依据的情况下进行的,且方式造成了羞辱和痛苦。
“没有有效搜查令获取的证据是非法的且不可采纳,正如C.O.P.诉Omoh案(1969)NCLR 137等司法先例所确立的,该案裁定通过不当手段获取的证据侵犯基本权利,必须予以排除,”他说。
该律师还引用了Fawehinmi诉IGP案(2000)7 NWLR(第665部分)481,称法院谴责模糊的搜查令赋予无限制的自由裁量权并导致滥用。他还列举了大量案例来支持其论点。
In the affidavit in support of the application, Mohammed Shaba, a Principal Secretary to the former governor, averred that on February 19 at about 2 p.m., officers from the ICPC and the Nigeria Police Force invaded the residence under a purported search warrant issued on or about February 4.
据他所述,该搜查令因缺乏具体性、存在错误以及本申请理由中概述的其他缺陷而无效。
他说“搜查令未指明正在搜查的财产或物品。”
沙巴表示,这些官员在搜查前未按法律规定接受搜查。
“地方法官未指明其所在的司法区。
“在入侵期间,官员们未经合法授权搜查了申请人的住所,扣押了包括文件和电子设备在内的个人物品,并给申请人造成了不当羞辱、心理创伤和痛苦。
“Now shown to me and marked as ‘EXHIBIT B’ Is the list of the items carted away.
“That no items seized have been returned, and the respondents continue to rely on the unlawful evidence.
“That the applicant suffered violations of his constitutional rights as a result, and this application is brought in good faith to enforce same,” Shaba said.
The post El-Rufai Sues ICPC For ₦1bn Over Alleged Abuja Home Invasion appeared first on Channels Television.
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