Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) before a Federal High Court in Abuja. He faces allegations that he unlawfully accessed a private telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai, who also served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Thursday on an amended five-count charge.
At the commencement of proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that the original three-count charge had been revised to five counts. Consequently, the judge struck out the earlier charges and directed that the amended counts be read to the defendant.
Following the plea, the counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladeloye, urged the court to set dates for the trial. However, defense counsel Oluwole Iyamu objected, stating that he required more time to confer with his client, who he noted had been in the custody of various security agencies.
Iyamu informed the court that a bail application had been filed on February 17, supported by a further affidavit submitted recently. Justice Abdulmalik noted that the additional affidavit was not in the court’s file and criticized the defense for failing to ensure that proper filing procedures were followed.
The judge also cautioned against what she described as “Nollywood theatrics” after observing camera personnel taking photographs inside the courtroom. In response, the defense lawyer maintained that he was not responsible for inviting the photographers.
The court temporarily stood down the matter to allow the filing issues surrounding the affidavit to be resolved.
The case stems from remarks made by El-Rufai in February during an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television program. During the broadcast, he alleged that Ribadu’s phone had been wiretapped, which allowed him to overhear conversations in which security operatives were purportedly instructed to arrest him.
