El-Rufai to stand trial for cybercrime, NSA phone tapping February 25
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, would be arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja to stand trial for alleged cybercrime and breach of national security on February 25.
This was contained in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 and
assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik by the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, who thereafter fixed the date for the defendant’s arraignment.
The Department of State Security (DSS) had on Monday filed a three-count charge against the former Kaduna State Governor over the alleged interception of the phone communications of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai had on February 13 2026, claimed during an Arise TV interview, that he together with other unnamed individuals eavesdropped into Nuhu Ribadu’s phone conversations, which was tapped by a third party.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against him, listing the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as the defendant.
According to the charge, El-Rufai during an interview on Arise TV admitted to have unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, alongside other unnamed individuals.
The charge also alleged the former Kaduna State Governor to have known and related with an unnamed individual who unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser without reporting the said person to security agencies.
The last count on the charge centered on El-Rufai’s collusion with others now at large, who through the use of technical equipment compromising public safety and national security, unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser.
Reports say El-Rufai was allegedly taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) shortly after being granted an administrative bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, who earlier held him for questioning in an alleged N432bn fraud case.
