NSA phone-tapping: El-Rufai knows fate October 26

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday fixed October 26, 2026, for ruling in a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in the alleged phone-tapping filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

El-Rufai is being prosecuted on allegations bordering on breach of national security, following his alleged admission of wiretapping phone conversations of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, fixed the date on Tuesday after the former governor’s lawyer, Akinyemi Aremu, and the DSS counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the no-case submission.

Earlier, Aremu urged the court to hold that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring the former governor to enter a defence.

In response, the DSS counsel adopted counter affidavit in opposition to the no-case submission.

Aladedoye argued that the defence failed to address Exhibit “B”, which the prosecution said contained El-Rufai’s alleged admission concerning the tapping of Ribadu’s phone.

He told the court that since the prosecution had established a prima facie case against El-Rufai, the defendant is required by law to enter his defence.

The lawyer prayed the court to dismiss the application and order El-Rufai to enter his defence.

After listening to the lawyers’ arguments, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until October 26 for ruling.

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The DSS had called two witnesses – an operative of the service and a legal practitioner, Deji Adeyanju – to established their case against El-Rufai.

Adeyanju, who testified as a subpoenaed witness, told the court that El-Rufai allegedly admitted on a national television interview that he wiretapped the phone lines belonging to the NSA.

After the prosecution closed its case, El-Rufai opted for a no-case submission.

The DSS sued El-Rufai after he claimed during a TV interview that he intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu.

The former governor alleged that the conversation, on the telephone, revealed instructions to security operatives to arrest him.

He linked the alleged directive to an incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on February 12 after his return from Cairo, the capital of Egypt.