Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on five counts related to the alleged unlawful interception of a telephone conversation involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The charges were amended from an initial three counts during Thursday's court proceedings, leading the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, to strike out the original charge sheet. El-Rufai entered a plea of not guilty to all counts. The case stems from comments he made on February 13, 2026, during an appearance on Arise Television's Prime Time programme, where he claimed to have listened to a tapped phone call in which Ribadu allegedly ordered his arrest.
El-Rufai stated, "He (Ribadu) made the call because we listened to their call," and added, "Someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order." He further remarked, "Government thinks they are the only ones that listen to calls, but we also have our ways." The prosecution, represented by Ernest O.M., Owan O.M., U.M. Bulla, C.S. Eze (PhD), and E.G. Orubor, filed the charges under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. Count One accuses El-Rufai of intercepting Ribadu's communications, contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Act. Count Two alleges he failed to report associates involved in the interception, under Section 27(b) of the same Act. Count Three links him and "others still at large" to the use of technical systems that compromised national security, violating Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, called for a full investigation, writing on X that El-Rufai's televised confession raised serious legal concerns. Court documents show the case is filed as FHC/CR/99/2026, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria as complainant and El-Rufai, 65, as sole defendant.
El-Rufai claims he accessed Ribadu's phone call to expose government overreach, yet offers no evidence while admitting to illegal interception. His assertion that "we also have our ways" exposes a dangerous equivalence between state and private surveillance. If true, it means non-state actors possess capabilities once thought exclusive to security agencies. This blurs the line between accountability and lawlessness.
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