The Department of State Services (DSS) has filed a three-count criminal charge against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged cybercrime and breach of national security.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that El-Rufai will be arraigned on February 25 before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after the Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the case to her.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was instituted by the DSS, also known as the Nigerian secret police.
According to court documents, the security agency accused El-Rufai of unlawfully intercepting the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The DSS alleged that on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, the former governor admitted that he and his associates intercepted the NSA’s phone communications.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In the second count, El-Rufai was accused of admitting during the same television interview that he knew an individual who unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications but failed to report the matter to relevant security agencies. The charge is said to be punishable under Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count three alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, used technical equipment or systems that compromised public safety and national security by unlawfully intercepting the NSA’s communications.
The DSS said the act was contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Recall that during the Arise TV interview, El-Rufai claimed he overheard Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him.
He linked the alleged directive to what he described as an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
The development comes amid a series of legal troubles for the former governor.
He was earlier detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged corruption.
Though granted administrative bail around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, he was reportedly taken into custody immediately by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
Confirming the development, ICPC spokesperson, John Odey, said in a message circulated on a journalists’ WhatsApp group: “Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”