The Department of State Services (DSS) has instituted a three-count criminal charge against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations bordering on cybercrime and threats to national security.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, El-Rufai is expected to be arraigned on February 25 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The date was fixed by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik after the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the matter to her.
The charge, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was brought by the DSS, Nigeria’s secret police.
Court documents indicate that the security agency accused the former governor of unlawfully intercepting the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
The DSS alleged that on February 13, during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that he and certain associates intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations.
The alleged offence is said to contravene Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In the second count, the former governor was accused of acknowledging in the same interview that he was aware of an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications but failed to report the incident to the appropriate security authorities. The offence is said to be punishable under Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
The third count alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, deployed technical equipment or systems in a manner that compromised public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s communications.
According to the DSS, this action was contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
It would be recalled that during the Arise TV interview, El-Rufai stated that he overheard Ribadu instructing security operatives to detain him.
He connected the alleged instruction to what he described as an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12, shortly after returning from Cairo, Egypt.
The latest development adds to a string of legal challenges facing the former governor.
He had earlier been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corruption-related matters.
Although he was granted administrative bail at about 8 p.m. on Wednesday, reports indicated that he was immediately taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Confirming this, ICPC spokesperson John Odey stated in a message shared on a journalists’ WhatsApp group: “Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”
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