257
By John Azu
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai has been taken back to the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) after being granted a N100 million bail bond in the case of alleged wire tapping against the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Following the bail approval, El-Rufai’s family and lawyers made spirited efforts to fulfill the bail terms early enough with no avail.
El -Rufai’s son, Mohammed Bello, was seen making several calls while his wife stayed with him in the court.
Eventually, the DSS decided to return him in custody pending the fulfilment of the terms.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik had, on Monday, ordered the former Kaduna Governor to produce the bail bond and one surety in like sum, being a level 17 officer with evidence of three months salary authenticated by the bank’s manager.
The judge further ordered that the proposed surety must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja, and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property with the court registry.
The court further ordered that the surety must depose to an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond, and submit a recent passport photograph to the court registry, while the defendant must submit his valid international passports with the court.
The court also directed that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate official department be submitted, alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.
Making further conditions, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that the ex-governor must report to the headquarters of the Department of State Service (DSS) every last Friday of the month by 10 am to sign an attendance register pending the determination of the case.
Furthermore, the judge directed El-Rufai to submit a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna State Traditional Council while warning that failure to comply with all the terms of the bail, it would result in automatic revocation.
The court ordered an accelerated trial.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against the former FCT Minister which alleged that he breached national security.
In the count one, the prosecution stated that El -Rufai, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, admitted during the interview that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12 (1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
In count two, El Rufai was accused of stating on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja “during the interview that you know and relate with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, without reporting the said individual to relevant security agencies and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.”
In count three, the federal government alleged that El Rufal, and others at large did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the NSA Ribadu, “to which you admitted during an interview on 13th February, 2026, on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131 (2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”