A Federal High Court in Abuja heard on Monday heard that a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai admitted, during a television interview, that he intercepted the phone conversations of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The second prosecution witness, El-Rufai’s ongoing trial, Deji Adeyanju told the court that he was in the same television station, awaiting his turn to be interviewed on February 16, the day El-Rufai allegedly made the administration on the same station.
Led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), said Adeyanju said El-Rufai claimed, in the course of the television interview that “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
El-Rufai is being prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over his alleged contrivention of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act (2024) and the the Nigerian Communications Act (2003) following his alleged interception of Ribadu’s phone conversations and compromising public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians.
Adeyanju, a subpoenaed witness, said he knew El-Rufai as a former governor of Kaduna State, adding that he issued statement following reports that the former governor was to be arrested by security operatives.
Shortly after, the interview session in which El-Rufai featured was played in open court, which Adeyanju confirmed to be the one he saw and during which the ex-governor allegedly made the administration.
Aladedoye also tendered a video recording of the interview session featuring Adeyanju, which the court admitted.
Responding to a question, Adeyanju said he was later invited by the DSS and was asked to explain what happened while he was at the television studio.
Adeyanju said he told investigators that he was present when El-Rufai made the statements on air and that when pressed further, in the course of the interview, the ex-governor said someone did the phone tapping and passed the information to him.
While being cross-examined by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), Adeyanju said he did not hear El-Rufai specifically say he hacked Ribadu’s phone lines, but that he heard him say, “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
When asked whether he knew the means through which the NSA makes calls and if he would be surprised to learn that DSS investigators did not ask the NSA which of his devices was allegedly compromised, the witness said those were not his business.
The prosecution tendered an official gazette without objection from the defence, following which the court admitted it in evidence.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik has adjourned further hearing till June 23.
El-Rufai is being prosecuted on a three-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026. Counts in the charge read:
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did admit during the interview that you and your cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13t February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did state during the interview that you know and relate with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, without reporting the said individual to relevant Security agencies and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, and other still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with others still at large did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to which you admitted during an interview on 13th February, 2026, on Arise tv station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
Source: The Nation
