Court Rejects El-Rufai’s Request For Full 6-Hour CCTV Play, Grants ICPC 20 Minutes To Show Clips In N10bn Suit
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted an application by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to play part of the CCTV footage at its facility in the N10 billion suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Justice Chigozie Onah, in a ruling on separate motions filed by ICPC and El-Rufai, declined the ex-governor’s prayers to have the over six-hour video recording played in full in open court.
“The court cannot be turned into a viewing centre. The court does not have the luxury of time to watch full footage that spans over six hours,” Justice Onah ruled.
The judge granted both parties 20 minutes each to have any part of the footage played in open court, saying it will be played at 1pm when most lawyers and litigants would have left the court.
He agreed with the arguments of ICPC’s counsel, Yetunde Mosunmola, that the video contained some sensitive information that might expose the commission’s facility to a security breach if the full clip is played in open court. He said if such video must be played in full, it has to be in the judge’s chamber.
Justice Onah also refused El-Rufai’s prayer, seeking an order for the two ICPC officials, who deposed to the affidavits in the commission’s processes, to be produced in court for cross-examination.
“Both parties only have 20 minutes each to play part of the footage at 1pm in open court,” the judge held, adjourning the matter until November 3 at 1pm for definite hearing.
El-Rufai had instituted the suit against the ICPC, its Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, and the Attorney-General of the Federation as 1st to 3rd respondents, seeking N10 billion in damages for allegedly preventing him from having access to his wife, Mrs Aichatou Asabe, and son, Abba El-Rufai, while in custody.
In its counter-affidavit, ICPC claimed El-Rufai was in lawful custody by order of the Federal High Court, Kaduna Division. It alleged that a medical visit facilitated for him on July 7 was turned into a political meeting, and that his wife was allegedly smuggled into its premises on July 4 at about 7:35pm after visiting hours.
ICPC also claimed that on July 7, El-Rufai’s son Abba, after being prevented from gaining entry, lay in the gutter and rubbed his leg against the edge of the gutter — an incident captured on CCTV.
The commission sought to play three clips titled “the scuttle”, “the son being whisked away” and “unauthorised entry”, while El-Rufai demanded the complete, unedited footage from June 7, July 4 and July 7.
El-Rufai argued that the omitted portion of July 7 shows his son being dragged with his leg trapped in the gutter, which contradicts ICPC’s account.
