Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS), has arraigned former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations that he accessed a private phone conversation involving Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai, who once served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is facing a five-count charge at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The prosecution told the court the charges had been expanded from three to five counts, prompting the judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, to strike out the earlier version.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
After the plea, the DSS lawyer, Oluwole Aladeloye, asked the court to set dates for trial.
But El-Rufai’s lawyer, Oluwole Iyamu, pushed back, saying he needed time to properly consult with his client, who he said had been in the custody of multiple security agencies.
The issue of bail also hit a snag. Iyamu told the court that a bail application had already been filed, along with a fresh affidavit.
However, the judge said the document wasn’t in her records, questioning why proper filing procedures hadn’t been followed.
She also criticised what she described as “Nollywood-style theatrics” involving camera crews in the courtroom.
The matter was briefly stood down to sort out the paperwork.
Background
The case stems from comments El-Rufai made in February during a TV interview, where he claimed that someone had tapped Ribadu’s phone.
According to him, that allowed his camp to hear instructions allegedly given to security operatives to arrest him.
He suggested that while the government monitors calls, others have similar capabilities a claim that now appears to be at the centre of the charges against him.
