Department of State Services will on February 25 arraign a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, before the Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged cybercrime and breach of national security.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, has already been assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik by the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, who subsequently fixed the date for the defendant’s arraignment.
On Monday, DSS filed a three-count criminal charge against the former governor, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
It alleged that El-Rufai’s actions contravened provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
In count one, the DSS alleged that El-Rufai, on February 13, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, admitted during the interview that he and others unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the NSA, an offence said to be contrary to, and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In count two, El-Rufai is accused of stating during the same television interview that he knew and related with an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications without reporting the person to relevant security agencies.
The DSS said the alleged offence is punishable under Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
The former Kaduna governor had, during the live Arise TV interview, claimed that he overheard Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to what he described as an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
He was later granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, after being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for questioning in an alleged N432bn fraud case.
But El-Rufai was reportedly taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission shortly after his release.
