FG Files Cybercrime Charges Against El-Rufai Over Alleged Nuhu Ribado Phone Tapping Claim on Arise TV
By Pulse Time Nigeria
The former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is now facing a three-count charge filed by the Federal Government at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja over alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The case marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 was filed on Monday, barely three days after Mr El-Rufai said during a live interview on Arise TV that the NSA’s phone conversation was intercepted, and that he heard the NSA directing security operatives to detain him .
Mr El-Rufai, a critic of the President Bola Tinubu administration who abandoned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last year to join the African Democratic, appeared on Arise TV the following day, Friday, to shed light on his airport exchange, during which he dropped the call-tapping comment.
On Monday, prosecutors from the State Security Services (SSS) filed cybercrime charges stemming from the interview against him, as the filing circulating online shows.
According to the charge sheet, the case stems from statements allegedly made by El-Rufai during the televised interview where he was said to have indicated that he intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser.
Prosecutors claim that this on-air statement amounts to an admission of involvement and knowledge of the act.
Based on the court filing, authorities treated the broadcast comments as a formal trigger for investigation and prosecution under the Cybercrimes Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
The government argues that unlawful interception of official communications is not only a privacy breach but also a potential national security issue.
The three counts focus on alleged admission of interception, alleged failure to report those involved, and alleged use of technical systems capable of compromising national security.
Following the broadcast, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the remarks as a “confession” and called for an investigation, questioning whether the former governor and his associates possessed wire-tapping capabilities.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, also said the admission warranted scrutiny.
According to a report by Punch Newspapers, security experts and legal practitioners warned that the unlawful interception of the NSA’s communications, if established, could constitute a serious breach of national security protocol.
They cited constitutional and statutory provisions that guarantee the privacy of communications and criminalise unauthorised interception except under lawful authority.