Court orders El-Rufai to enter defence in wiretapping trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in his trial over the alleged illegal interception of phone conversations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dominated on Monday, October 26, that the prosecution had introduced enough proof to require El-Rufai to enter his defence towards the five-count amended cost introduced by the Department of State Services. She adjourned the case till November 25, 2026, for the defence to open its case.

El-Rufai filed the appliance after the prosecution closed its case following testimony from two witnesses. His counsel, Paul Erokoro, requested the courtroom to discharge and acquit him, arguing that the prosecution had failed to determine a prima facie case.

Erokoro maintained that the proof was inadequate to require his consumer to reply the allegations. Prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye opposed the appliance, arguing that the oral and documentary proof introduced warranted a response from the defendant.

Justice Abdulmalik agreed that the proceedings ought to proceed to the defence stage. The ruling doesn’t decide El-Rufai’s guilt. The costs adopted feedback El-Rufai made throughout an look on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in February 2026.

During the interview, he claimed that somebody had intercepted Ribadu’s phone dialog, permitting him to listen to the nationwide safety adviser allegedly instruct safety operatives to arrest him. The allegations arising from these feedback kind the idea of the DSS prosecution.