By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal Government has filed a three-count charge against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over the alleged unlawful interception of communications belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The charges were instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.
Last week, El-Rufai had stated during an appearance on Prime Time on Arise TV that he and other unnamed individuals listened to conversations from Ribadu’s phone after it was allegedly tapped by a third party. Although he acknowledged that such interception was technically unlawful, he argued that illegal surveillance was not uncommon.
However, in the charge sheet obtained on Monday, the Federal Government alleged that El-Rufai admitted during the television interview that he and his associates unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications.
According to the first count, the former governor allegedly admitted on February 13, 2026, while appearing on the programme in Abuja, that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications, an offence said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
The second count alleges that El-Rufai stated during the interview that he knew and related with an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications but failed to report the person to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the same Act.
In the third count, the Federal Government alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, used technical equipment or systems that compromised public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s communications. The offence is said to be punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
