The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to present his defence in the case involving the alleged interception of telephone conversations linked to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the order on Monday after dismissing El-Rufai’s no-case submission, ruling that the evidence presented by the Department of State Services was sufficient to require him to respond to the allegations.
The judge subsequently fixed November 25, 2026, for the former governor to open his defence against the five-count amended charge filed by the DSS.
El-Rufai had asked the court to discharge and acquit him after the prosecution concluded its case with the testimonies of two witnesses.
His counsel, Paul Erokoro, argued that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against his client, insisting that the evidence presented was insufficient to compel him to enter a defence.
However, prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, urged the court to reject the application, arguing that the oral testimonies and documentary evidence before it justified requiring the defendant to answer the charges.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik upheld the prosecution’s position, holding that the matter should proceed to the defence stage rather than be terminated at that point.
The case arose from comments made by El-Rufai during an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, in February 2026, when he alleged that Ribadu’s telephone conversations had been intercepted.
During the interview, the former governor said “someone wiretapped” the NSA’s phone, claiming that he had listened to a conversation in which Ribadu allegedly directed security operatives to arrest him.
The allegation subsequently led to the DSS prosecution, which centres on the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications.
Following Monday’s ruling, El-Rufai is expected to begin presenting his defence when the case resumes on November 25, 2026.
