Court grants ICPC permission to examine electronic devices recovered from El-Rufai’s house

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an order permitting the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to access and analyse about 14 sets of electronics devices recovered by its operatives during a search of the Abuja home of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Thursday while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed by the ICPC and moved by its lawyer, Dr. Osuobeni Akponimisingha.

The ICPC had said it needed to access the devices for the purposes of inspection, forensic examination and forensic extraction of data in furtherance of its ongoing investigation of the ex-governor. The devices include a Sony HD-EGS storage device, a ITB Transcend storage device, Toshiba storage device, Samsung mobile phone, Nokia mobile phone – N958GB, Blackberry mobile phone device and a Google IDEOS phone.

Others are Samsung storage device-SPO802N, Remarkable tablet, Apple MacBook Pro – black, Seagate Freeagent desk external drive, ZTE mobile phone, 10 pieces of flash drives and Microcell memory card.

Justice Abdulmalik, in the ruling, said: “It is hereby ordered as follows: That the applicant, i.e. the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is forthwith granted access to: (1) SONY HD-EGS Storage Device (2) ITB TRANSCEND STORAGE DEVICE (3) TOSHIBA STORAGE DEVICE (4) SAMSUNG MOBILE PHONE (5) NOKIA MOBILE PHONE-N958GB (6) BLACK BERRY MOBILE PHONE DEVICE (7) GOOGLE IDEOS PHONE (8) SAMSUNG STORAGE DEVICE-SPO802N (9) REMARKABLE TABLET (10) Apple Macbook Pro-Black (11) SEAGATE FREEAGENT DESK EXTERNAL DRIVE (12) ZTE Mobile Phone (13) 10 Pieces of Flash Drives (14) Microcell Memory Card of the respondent (Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai) for inspection, forensic examination, forensic extraction of data i.e. public documents, WhatsApp conversations, text messages, pictures, call logs and related information and analyse same forensically or otherwise from the said electronic devices which were seized in the course of investigation for purpose of investigation activity.”