Breaking: El-Rufai Heads to Court Against DSS, Mentions Amount He Will Take as Damages
- Former Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, filed an application at the Federal High Court seeking to quash charges brought against him by the Department of State Services
- Federal High Court Judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, was scheduled to hear the matter on 25 February 2026
- Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, confirmed that El-Rufai’s legal team had cited constitutional violations, lack of prima facie evidence and abuse of court process in seeking dismissal of the charges
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FCT, Abuja - Former Kaduna state governor Nasir El-Rufai has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to quash charges filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Also, the former governor demanded ₦2 billion in damages for what he describes as an abuse of the criminal justice system.
Source: Twitter
The application was filed in response to Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 instituted against him at the Federal High Court and is scheduled for hearing on 25 February 2026 before Joyce Abdulmalik.
El-Rufai seeks to quash DSS charge
In the motion before the court, El-Rufai asked for an order striking out the charge dated 16 February 2026, arguing that it is incompetent, discloses no offence recognised by law and amounts to a gross abuse of court process.
Source: Twitter
A statement via X, on Tuesday, He also urged the court to discharge him entirely, maintaining that the charge does not establish any prima facie case against him.
Beyond seeking dismissal of the case, El-Rufai requested an order awarding ₦2,000,000,000 in costs against the DSS.
He argued that the prosecution represents an “egregious, reckless, and unconstitutional misuse of the criminal justice system” intended to harass, embarrass and publicly victimise him.
Motion cites multiple legal and constitutional grounds
According to the court papers, the application is anchored on 17 grounds, including claims that the charge is constitutionally invalid, unsupported by evidence and fails to meet statutory requirements.
Other grounds listed include lack of prosecutorial competence, citing offences unknown to law, fatal duplicity, bad faith, political persecution and abuse of court process.
Alleged breaches of fundamental rights outlined
El-Rufai’s legal team further contended that the prosecution violates several provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
These include the presumption of innocence, the right against self-incrimination, the requirement that criminal offences be defined by written law, as well as rights to freedom of expression and association.
DSS formally notified of court action
The motion, filed on 17 February, was followed by a formal notification to the Director-General of the DSS on 18 February. The letter informed the agency of the processes filed and provided details of El-Rufai’s legal representatives.
The filing was confirmed in a statement signed by Muyiwa Adekeye, media adviser to El-Rufai, and dated 24 February 2026.
The case is expected to draw significant public attention when it comes up for hearing later this month.
ICPC denies El-Rufai bail
Legit.ng previously reported that Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, has yet to be granted bail by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission (ICPC). This is as he spent eight days in detention, which raised concerns among his family and legal team.
Muyiwa Adekeye, the media adviser to the former governor, disclosed the development in a statement on Monday, February 23. He explained that the ex-governor had been in custody since he first voluntarily reported to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, following an invitation.
Source: Legit.ng
