The Department of State Services (DSS) will on Feb. 25 arraign former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged cybercrime and threats to national security.
Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court fixed the date after the Chief Judge, John Tsoho, assigned the case to her.
NAN earlier reported that the DSS filed a three-count charge on Monday, accusing El-Rufai of involvement in the wiretapping of the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The charge, brought by the secret police, is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026.
The DSS said El-Rufai breached the Cybercrimes (Prohibition) Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
According to the filing, El-Rufai allegedly admitted during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja on Feb. 13 that he and others unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s phone communications.
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The alleged offence is punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In the second count, prosecutors said the former governor stated during the same interview that he knew and had contact with an individual who carried out the interception but did not report the person to security agencies.
This is said to violate Section 27(b) of the same Act.
The third count alleges that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment in Abuja in 2026 to intercept the NSA’s communications, an act the DSS said compromised public safety, threatened national security, and created fear among citizens.
The charge states that the act, which the DSS said he acknowledged during the Feb. 13 interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, “and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”
NAN