Ribadu phone-tapping: You’ve case to answer, court tells el’Rufai

…Dismisses ex-governor’s no-case plea, orders him to enter defence November 25

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

The  Federal High Court , Abuja, yesterday, ruled that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has a case to answer over allegations of unlawfully intercepting telephone conversations involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who dismissed the former governor’s no-case submission, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to warrant his defence against the five-count amended charge brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The judge consequently ordered El-Rufai to open his defence and adjourned the trial until November 25, 2026.

El-Rufai had asked the court to discharge and acquit him after the prosecution closed its case following the testimony of two witnesses.

Through his counsel, Paul Erokoro, the former governor argued that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him, insisting that the oral and documentary evidence presented was insufficient to compel him to enter a defence.

However, prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, opposed the application, maintaining that the evidence already before the court disclosed a case requiring an explanation from the defendant.

He urged the court to dismiss the no-case submission and direct El-Rufai to defend himself against the allegations.

In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik agreed with the prosecution, holding that sufficient evidence had been presented to require the former governor to answer the charges.

The decision effectively rejected El-Rufai’s bid to terminate the criminal proceedings without entering a defence.

The charges arose from an interview El-Rufai granted on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in February 2026, during which he claimed that Ribadu’s telephone conversations had been intercepted.

He alleged that “someone wiretapped” the NSA’s telephone, enabling him to listen to a conversation in which Ribadu purportedly directed security operatives to arrest him.

The claim subsequently formed the basis of the DSS prosecution.

Although yesterday’s ruling does not establish El-Rufai’s guilt, it means the former governor must now confront the prosecution’s evidence and present his defence when proceedings resume on November 25.