Court orders El-Rufai to enter defence in wiretapping trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in his trial over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone conversations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled on Monday, October 26, that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require El-Rufai to enter his defence against the five-count amended charge brought by the Department of State Services. She adjourned the case until November 25, 2026, for the defence to open its case.

El-Rufai filed the application after the prosecution closed its case following testimony from two witnesses. His counsel, Paul Erokoro, asked the court to discharge and acquit him, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case.

Erokoro maintained that the evidence was insufficient to require his client to answer the allegations. Prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye opposed the application, arguing that the oral and documentary evidence presented warranted a response from the defendant.

Justice Abdulmalik agreed that the proceedings should continue to the defence stage. The ruling does not determine El-Rufai’s guilt. The charges followed comments El-Rufai made during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in February 2026.

During the interview, he claimed that someone had intercepted Ribadu’s telephone conversation, allowing him to hear the national security adviser allegedly instruct security operatives to arrest him. The allegations arising from those comments form the basis of the DSS prosecution.