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| Nasir el-Rufai |
A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected Nasir el-Rufai’s attempt to end his trial without entering a defence over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted telephone conversations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling on Monday, October 26, 2026, held that the prosecution had presented enough evidence for the former Kaduna State governor to be called upon to answer the five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS). The court therefore dismissed his no-case submission and adjourned proceedings until November 25 for him to open his defence.
El-Rufai is accused of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications linked to Ribadu. The allegations followed comments he made in February 2026 during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he claimed that “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to hear the NSA instructing security operatives to arrest him.
After the federal government closed its case following testimony from two witnesses, el-Rufai’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, filed a no-case submission. He asked the court to discharge and acquit his client, arguing that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case strong enough to require el-Rufai to defend himself.
But prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye urged the court to dismiss the application, maintaining that the oral and documentary evidence already before the court was sufficient for the trial to proceed. Justice Abdulmalik agreed, ruling in favour of the prosecution and ordering el-Rufai to enter his defence if he chooses to do so.
The ruling does not amount to a conviction. It means the court has found that there is sufficient evidence for el-Rufai to respond to the allegations, while the final determination of guilt or innocence remains for a later stage of the trial.
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