{"id":130282,"date":"2026-10-27T07:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T06:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=130282"},"modified":"2026-10-27T07:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T06:39:25","slug":"el-rufai-kisses-wife-in-court-as-judge-orders-him-to-enter-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/el-rufai-kisses-wife-in-court-as-judge-orders-him-to-enter-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"El-Rufai Kisses Wife in Court as Judge Orders Him to Enter Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/strong><\/p>\n

A tender moment between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his wife, Asiya, played out at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, offering a glimpse of family affection amid his ongoing legal battle with the Federal Government.<\/p>\n

El-Rufai embraced and kissed his wife during proceedings in his alleged unlawful telephone interception case involving National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.<\/p>\n

A video of the encounter, which has circulated on social media, showed the former governor sharing the affectionate moment with Asiya, who smiled as they exchanged the gesture.<\/p>\n

The moment came on a day of legal setback for El-Rufai, as Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed his no-case submission and ordered him to enter his defence against the charges brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).<\/p>\n

The ruling means the court found sufficient grounds in the prosecution\u2019s evidence to require the former governor to respond to the allegations. It does not amount to a finding of guilt.<\/p>\n

Beyond the courtroom moment, the case has drawn attention because of the political figures involved and the controversy surrounding El-Rufai\u2019s claim that Ribadu\u2019s telephone communications had been intercepted.<\/p>\n

For Asiya, the public display of affection came amid months of appeals on behalf of her husband, including a plea to President Bola Tinubu to intervene over what she described as the family\u2019s ordeal.<\/p>\n

In July, she recalled the support she and her husband gave Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election campaign and questioned the treatment of her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. President, I campaigned for you. I travelled to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State to canvass support for your election. My husband stood firmly by your side. Is this what our family deserves?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

She later appealed for her husband\u2019s release, stressing that she was not asking the President to interfere with the judicial process but wanted him to enjoy his constitutional rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease let him go free. I am not asking you to stop his prosecution. We are only asking that he be allowed to enjoy the basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution you swore to uphold and defend,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Asiya also urged Tinubu to ensure that El-Rufai was granted bail on reasonable conditions, leaving the court to determine the case on its merits.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrant him bail on conditions he can reasonably meet. If he is guilty, let the court decide. If he is innocent, let the court also decide,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The latest ruling, however, means El-Rufai must now respond to the evidence presented by the prosecution after his lawyers failed to convince the court that he had no case to answer.<\/p>\n

The former governor is facing a five-count amended charge filed by the Federal Government through the DSS in suit number FHC\/ABJ\/CR\/99\/2026.<\/p>\n

The case followed comments El-Rufai made during an appearance on Arise Television\u2019s Prime Time<\/em> programme in February 2026. He alleged that associates had intercepted Ribadu\u2019s telephone communications and that he had heard a conversation concerning plans to arrest him.<\/p>\n

The DSS subsequently filed charges alleging unlawful interception of telephone communications and related offences under Nigerian law.<\/p>\n

The prosecution called two witnesses before closing its case. El-Rufai\u2019s legal team then filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient to require him to enter a defence.<\/p>\n

DSS counsel Oluwole Aladedoye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, opposed the application, maintaining that the prosecution had established a prima facie case.<\/p>\n

Justice Abdulmalik agreed that El-Rufai had a case to answer and adjourned the matter until November 25, 2026, for further proceedings.<\/p>\n

The ruling does not determine whether El-Rufai committed the alleged offences. He remains entitled to present his defence, and the court is yet to reach a verdict.<\/p>\n

As the case proceeds, the affectionate exchange between El-Rufai and his wife has provided a personal moment amid a legal battle involving allegations against a former governor and a serving national security official.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lizzy Chirkpi A tender moment between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his wife, Asiya, played out at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, offering a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":130283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nEl-Rufai Kisses Wife in Court as Judge Orders Him to Enter Defence - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/el-rufai-kisses-wife-in-court-as-judge-orders-him-to-enter-defence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El-Rufai Kisses Wife in Court as Judge Orders Him to Enter Defence - 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