A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to defend himself against allegations of unlawfully intercepting telephone conversations involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, after rejecting his no-case submission.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the order on Monday after ruling that the Department of State Services had presented sufficient evidence to require the former governor to respond to the five-count amended charge against him.
The judge fixed November 25, 2026, for El-Rufai to open his defence.
The decision followed an application by the former governor seeking to be discharged and acquitted after the Federal Government closed its case with testimonies from two prosecution witnesses.
El-Rufai’s counsel, Paul Erokoro, had argued that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against his client, insisting that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant him entering a defence.
However, prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, urged the court to reject the application, maintaining that the oral testimonies and documentary evidence adduced during the trial established a case for El-Rufai to answer.
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In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik upheld the prosecution’s position, holding that the proceedings should advance to the defence stage rather than terminate with the former governor’s discharge.
The case arose from allegations that El-Rufai illegally intercepted telephone conversations linked to Ribadu.
The controversy dates to February 2026, when the former governor appeared on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, and claimed that Ribadu’s telephone conversation had been intercepted.
During the interview, El-Rufai said, “someone wiretapped” the NSA’s phone, allowing him to listen to a conversation in which Ribadu allegedly directed security operatives to arrest him.
The claim subsequently became the basis of the DSS prosecution against the former governor.
Following Monday’s ruling, El-Rufai is expected to present his defence when the matter resumes on November 25, 2026.