Former Kaduna State Governor and former Minister of the FCT, Nasir El-Rufai, is set to file a no-case submission in his ongoing wiretapping trial after the Department of State Services (DSS) closed its case against him at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.
In addition, the DSS is prosecuting El-Rufai on an amended five-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful interception of communications and breach of national security.
The former Kaduna State governor allegedly violated Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024 after he said in a live Arise Television interview in February that he intercepted a phone call involving Ribadu, which he claimed revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him.
In addition, the DSS lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, told the court during the resumed hearing that the prosecution would call no further witnesses, effectively closing its case.
Following the development, El-Rufai’s legal counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), told the court that the defence will file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence to warrant his client entering a defence.
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The defence sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested another two weeks to respond.
Erokoro also applied for a variation of the bail conditions earlier granted to the former governor, arguing that they were too stringent and difficult to meet.
In addition, he stated that the requirements—including verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council, as well as the condition that Level 17 civil servants residing in Abuja’s Maitama or Asokoro districts serve as sureties—were unduly burdensome
El-Rufai’s Wife Drags ICPC to Court, Demands N2b
Following her husband’s arrest, Aichatou El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has sent a pre-action notice to the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
In the notice, she is demanding N2 billion in damages over claims that the commission made false and harmful statements about her.
The request is included in a letter her lawyers submitted after an ICPC press statement called “Clarification on the Access Control Protocol at ICPC Headquarters, Abuja” was published on May 18, 2026.
BACKSTORY…
Recall that the Department of State Service(DSS) filed a three-count charge against former governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai over the alleged interception of communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
READ ALSO: ICPC Uncovers Alleged Wiretapping Devices at El-Rufai’s Abuja Residence
In February interview, El-Rufai stated that he and other unidentified people had listened in on talks from Ribadu’s phone after it had been tapped by someone else. He maintained that illegal spying was common, even though he acknowledged that such interception is technically prohibited.
