The Department of State Services (DSS) is set to arraign former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Wednesday, February 25, over alleged cybercrime and breach of national security.
El-Rufai will appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja to answer a three-count charge filed by the DSS.
The charges stem from allegations that the former governor unlawfully intercepted the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
According to court documents, the DSS alleged that on February 13, while appearing on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that he and his associates intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations. The offence is said to contravene Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In a second count, prosecutors alleged that El-Rufai acknowledged knowing an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications but failed to report the matter to security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the same Act.
The third count accuses El-Rufai and others still at large of using technical equipment in 2026 to compromise public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s communications, in violation of the Cybercrimes Act and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The DSS had earlier taken El-Rufai into custody after he reportedly spent two nights with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
El-Rufai had claimed that he became aware of plans to arrest him after someone allegedly wiretapped Ribadu’s phone and allowed him to listen to conversations directing security operatives to effect his arrest.
The former governor is also reported to have been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over separate allegations of corruption during his tenure as Kaduna State governor.
The arraignment is expected to draw significant public attention given El-Rufai’s political prominence and the national security implications of the charges.