The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations of unlawfully wiretapping the communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, resumed on Monday, June 22, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju testified as the second prosecution witness for the Department of State Services (DSS), confirming that El-Rufai admitted during a television interview that “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
Adeyanju told the court that he appeared on an Arise Television programme on February 16, the same day El-Rufai made the admission on the same station.
A 43-minute interview El-Rufai granted Arise News Television had earlier been played in evidence, in which he allegedly stated that someone wiretapped a conversation involving the NSA and forwarded it to him, while defending the act by arguing that governments routinely monitor communications.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, over the alleged interception of NSA Ribadu’s phone communications.
Under cross-examination, the prosecution witness acknowledged that investigators did not examine any communication devices belonging to the NSA, obtain IP addresses, or conduct forensic analysis of the alleged interception. El-Rufai has maintained a not-guilty plea throughout the proceedings and was previously granted bail of ₦100 million.
Trial continues on June 23.
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