Court replays El-Rufai’s Arise interview in phone tapping trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday replayed an interview granted by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, testified in the alleged phone tapping case instituted against him by the State Security Service (SSS).

Testifying as the second prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Adeyanju told the court that the recording accurately reflected events during the February 13 edition of an Arise Television programme in which El-Rufai made claims about the alleged interception of a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Adeyanju said reports had emerged on February 12 that El-Rufai was either going to be arrested or invited by security agencies following his return from Cairo, Egypt.

According to him, he had publicly advised the former governor to honour any invitation from security agencies and insisted at the time that the matter was not politically motivated.

“I went to Arise, and El-Rufai was also on the show. My segment came after his. During his interview, I listened to him speak on many issues, and I countered many of the things he said because they were not true or were half-truths,” he told the court.

The lawyer further stated that he was later invited by the SSS, where he made a statement regarding the interview.

“I confirmed that El-Rufai said that someone tapped and gave him the information. I put all that into writing,” he said.

Following an application by the prosecution, the court replayed the television interview that had earlier been tendered during the testimony of the first prosecution witness.

After watching the video, Adeyanju confirmed that it accurately reflected what he witnessed during the February 13 programme.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), Adeyanju also tendered the subpoena summoning him to testify. The document was admitted and marked as Exhibit G after defence counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), raised no objection.

The prosecution further tendered a recording of Adeyanju’s own interview on the programme, alongside a certificate of compliance. The court admitted the flash drive and certificate as Exhibits H and H1.

In the recorded interview, Adeyanju maintained that if the government intended to arrest El-Rufai, the SSS would have apprehended him at the airport.

He also referred to reports that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was investigating the former governor and stated that El-Rufai should be investigated for alleged corruption, with any prosecution coming after the conclusion of investigations.

Adeyanju further described El-Rufai as an “ardent violator of human rights” and characterised his current challenges as “karma.”

During cross-examination, Erokoro asked whether he heard El-Rufai expressly state that he tapped a telephone conversation.

In response, Adeyanju said El-Rufai had stated, “We listened to their calls.”

He added that if someone claimed a call had been hacked, he would report the matter because he did not know how such an act was carried out.

The witness, however, said he had no knowledge of whether the National Security Adviser conducted telephone conversations in a manner that allowed others to listen in and stressed that he was in court solely because he was summoned.

Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until June 23 for continuation of the trial.

The SSS filed the five-count charge against El-Rufai in February after he claimed during an Arise Television interview that he had intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which allegedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him.

El-Rufai was arraigned on April 23, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100 million.