Justice Hussaini Belgore of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has stepped down from hearing the fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The judge revealed that this was based on plans to proceed on leave.
Following his withdrawal, the case file has been returned to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court for reassignment to another judge.
The suit centres on alleged violations of El-Rufai’s fundamental rights. He raised concerns over actions taken by agencies including the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In the suit, El-Rufai also referenced the alleged invasion of his Abuja residence and mentioned the involvement of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Services (DSS) in ongoing legal matters concerning him.
Recall that El-Rufai had earlier asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to quash charges preferred against him by the DSS, describing them as incompetent, disclosing no offence known to law, and constituting a gross abuse of court process.
