FG drags el-Rufai to court over alleged interception of NSA’s phone calls
The Federal Government has filed a three-count charge against a former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai over the alleged interception of communications belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Last week, el-Rufai claimed in an interview that he and other unnamed individuals listened to conversations from Ribadu’s phone after it was tapped by a third party. While acknowledging that such interception is technically unlawful, he argued that illegal surveillance was not unusual.
However, the Department of State Services filed charges against el-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the charge sheet obtained by Channels Television on Monday, the government stated that El-Rufai admitted that he and his cohorts allegedly intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations.
The charge lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai as the defendant.
Count 1 “That you, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, adult, male, on 13 February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise News‘ 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″.
Count 2: “That you, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, adult, male, on 13 February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise News‘ 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″.
Count 3: “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 13 February, 2026, on Arise News‘ Prime Time programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131 (2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003″.
