The Department of State Services (DSS) has set February 25 for the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged cybercrime and breaches of national security.
The case, filed as FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik by the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, who subsequently fixed the arraignment date.
On Monday, the DSS filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The agency alleged that his actions violated the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
In the first count, the DSS claims that on February 13, 2026, during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme, El-Rufai admitted to unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s phone communications—an offence punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes Act.
The second count alleges that El-Rufai stated during the same interview that he knew an individual involved in the interception but failed to report the person to the appropriate security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Act.
During the live interview, El-Rufai also claimed that he overheard Ribadu instructing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to what he described as an attempted arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12, upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai was later granted administrative bail on Wednesday evening after being held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for questioning in an alleged N432 billion fraud case. However, he was reportedly taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) shortly after his release.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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