Aichatou el-Rufai, wife of Nasir el-Rufai, has issued a pre-action notice to the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, demanding ₦2 billion in damages over what she describes as defamatory remarks in an official statement.
The dispute follows a public statement by ICPC spokesperson J. Okor Odey responding to allegations that operatives of the commission denied the former Kaduna governor access to family members and medical care while in detention.
The allegations were initially made by Mohammed Bello, son of the former governor, who claimed that ICPC officials refused access to doctors despite a court order permitting unrestricted medical visits. He also alleged that Aichatou el-Rufai was prevented from delivering food to her husband during visiting hours.
The ICPC rejected the claims, describing them as false and misleading. The agency stated that its detention facility operates a fixed visitation window between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., a rule it said applies uniformly to all detainees and visitors. It further maintained that members of el-Rufai’s family, including one of his wives and a housemaid, had been granted access on multiple occasions within approved visiting hours.
In the statement that triggered the legal action, the commission referred to Aichatou el-Rufai as “a woman who identified herself as the wife of a defendant currently remanded in ICPC custody,” a description her legal team says questioned her status and damaged her reputation.
Her lawyers argue that the ICPC’s response also labeled her earlier allegations as false, portraying her as dishonest and in breach of established visitation procedures. They contend that the statement was widely circulated and subjected her to public embarrassment and reputational harm.
The legal notice demands a full retraction and a public apology published across at least three national newspapers, as well as on the commission’s digital platforms. It also seeks a written undertaking from the ICPC and ₦2 billion in general, aggravated, and exemplary damages.
The commission has been given 14 days to comply, after which legal proceedings may be initiated.
