Aichatou El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has issued a pre-action notice to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), demanding N2 billion in damages over what she described as defamatory statements made against her by the commission.
The demand was contained in a letter filed by her legal representatives following the publication of an ICPC press statement titled “Clarification on the Access Control Protocol at ICPC Headquarters, Abuja,” which was released on May 18, 2026.
According to the notice, Mrs El-Rufai’s lawyers argued that several portions of the statement, which was read by ICPC spokesperson J. Okor Odey, were defamatory and had caused significant harm to her reputation.
The legal team specifically objected to the commission’s description of Mrs El-Rufai as “a woman who identified herself as the wife of a defendant,” contending that the wording cast doubt on her status as the lawful spouse of the former governor.
They further maintained that the commission’s assertion that her earlier claims were “false and misleading” portrayed her as dishonest and deceptive, thereby damaging her standing in the eyes of the public.
The lawyers also challenged allegations that she violated visitation procedures at the commission’s headquarters, arguing that such claims painted her as a person who disregards established institutional protocols.
In addition, the notice took issue with sections of the statement which, according to the legal team, suggested that Mrs El-Rufai had contradicted herself regarding claims that her husband was denied food while in custody. The lawyers said the remarks undermined her credibility and integrity.
They also faulted the commission for allegedly portraying her actions as an attempt to create a media spectacle in order to circumvent official procedures, describing the suggestion as malicious and unwarranted.
According to the notice, the publication has been widely circulated across local and international media platforms, exposing Mrs El-Rufai to public ridicule, embarrassment and reputational injury.
Her lawyers described her as a woman of “unblemished character” and accused the anti-corruption agency of deploying its official platform to unfairly target a private citizen.
As part of the demands, the legal team called for an immediate retraction of the statements and a public apology to Mrs El-Rufai. They requested that the apology be published in at least three national newspapers and disseminated across the commission’s digital and social media platforms.
The notice also seeks N2 billion in general, aggravated and exemplary damages for the alleged harm caused by the publication.
In addition, the lawyers demanded a written undertaking from the commission assuring that no similar statements would be made about Mrs El-Rufai in the future.
The ICPC has been given 14 days to meet the demands contained in the notice, failing which Mrs El-Rufai’s legal team said it would commence legal proceedings.
