The Nigerian government has brought cybercrime charges against former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai following claims he made during a televised interview that he had access to private phone conversations of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu
Federal prosecutors have charged former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai with cybercrime offenses at the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted phone communications involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The case, filed on Monday and registered as FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, comes just three days after Mr. El-Rufai claimed during a live Arise TV interview that Mr. Ribadu’s phone conversation had been intercepted, and that he personally heard the NSA instructing security operatives to detain him.
“The NSA’s call was tapped. They do that to our calls too, and we heard him saying they should arrest me,” Mr. El-Rufai stated during Friday’s broadcast.
The former governor linked the alleged surveillance to what he described as an attempted arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday.
PREMIUM TIMES previously reported that Mr. El-Rufai was involved in a confrontation with security personnel at the airport following his arrival in Nigeria. Witnesses said officials briefly detained him and seized his international passport before releasing him to supporters who had gathered at the scene.
Mr. El-Rufai, a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration who left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last year to join the African Democratic Congress, appeared on Arise TV the next day to discuss the airport incident—during which he made the phone-tapping revelation.
According to court documents now circulating online, prosecutors from the State Security Service (SSS) have brought three charges against the 65-year-old politician.
The first count alleges that Mr. El-Rufai admitted on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13 that he and unidentified individuals unlawfully intercepted Mr. Ribadu’s phone communications, an offense under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The second charge accuses him of knowing about and associating with someone who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications but failing to report that person to security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Act.
The third count alleges that Mr. El-Rufai and others used technical equipment in a manner that compromised public safety and national security by intercepting Mr. Ribadu’s communications, violating Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
No arraignment date has been scheduled. Mr. El-Rufai has not publicly commented on the charges.
Political Context
The charges emerge amid growing tensions between Mr. El-Rufai and the Tinubu administration. President Tinubu initially nominated him as a minister when his government began in 2023, but the Senate declined to confirm him, citing security concerns.
During the Friday interview, Mr. El-Rufai alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had “procured” the SSS to arrest him, and insisted that Mr. Ribadu personally ordered his detention.
When questioned about how he obtained this information, Mr. El-Rufai said: “He made the call because we listen to their calls. The government believes it is the only one listening to calls, but we have our ways.”
Asked directly whether the NSA’s phone had been tapped, he responded: “Someone tapped his phone,” while acknowledging that such interception was technically illegal.
Following the broadcast, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga characterized the remarks as a “confession” and demanded an investigation into whether the former governor and his associates possessed wiretapping capabilities.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Temitope Ajayi similarly called for scrutiny of the admission.
According to Punch Newspapers, security experts and legal practitioners have warned that unauthorized interception of the NSA’s communications, if proven, would represent a serious breach of national security protocol. They referenced constitutional and statutory provisions protecting communication privacy and criminalizing unauthorized interception except under lawful authority.
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