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Oscar Okhifo, Abuja
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai was on Monday charged by the Federal Government for allegedly intercepting the phone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, following his reported admission during a televised interview.
The charges arose after El-Rufai was confronted by security officials upon his arrival on Egypt Air flight MS877 from Cairo on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, by the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), the former governor refused to accompany the officials without a formal invitation.
Adekeye added that security operatives seized El-Rufai’s international passport from an aide during the encounter.
The charges, dated February 16, 2026, stem from statements El-Rufai reportedly made during a television appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja on February 13, 2026.
In the interview, the 65-year-old former governor allegedly admitted that he and others unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications.
In Count One, El-Rufai was accused of admitting on television that he and his associates unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications, an offence contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In Count Two, the ex- governor was further accused of acknowledging that he knew and was associated with a person who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications but failed to report the individual to the relevant security agencies, an offence under Section 27(b) of the same Act.
In Count Three, El-Rufai and others, still at large were alleged to have used technical equipment or systems in 2026 to compromise public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s phone communications.
The prosecution claimed that the act, reportedly admitted during the TV interview, instilled “reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians,” contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
He has not publicly responded to the charges, and the Federal High Court has yet to schedule the first hearing.
The case underscores the Nigerian government’s enforcement of cybercrime and national security laws, particularly regarding unlawful surveillance or interception of communications, and could have far-reaching implications for high-profile political figures.