A senior adviser to President Bola Tinubu defended Thursday the federal government’s authority to intercept phone calls of ordinary citizens in the name of national security, framing it as a necessary tool exclusive to state actors to safeguard the public.
Temitope Ajayi, Tinubu’s senior special assistant on media and publicity, made the remarks in a social media exchange sparked by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai’s admission that an unnamed individual illicitly tapped the line of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Ajayi argued that such actions, while barred for private individuals, are permissible for authorities: “Government can legitimately listen to your conversation for national security reasons. Only govt is allowed to do what is illegal for citizens to do to protect and preserve the collective.”
He drew an analogy to firearms: “You can’t carry gun but govt can carry gun and the firearm arm that is allowed for citizens under the law must be licensed by govt.”
The comments followed El-Rufai’s appearance on a television program, where he confessed to the eavesdropping but countered that officials routinely engage in similar practices. “I know, but the government does it all the time. They listen to our calls all the time without a court order,” El-Rufai said, adding: “But someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order.”
El-Rufai, a vocal critic of the Tinubu regime since his failed ministerial bid, also alleged a conspiracy involving Kaduna’s current governor Uba Sani, the NSA and anti-corruption officials to detain him.
“Let me tell you, Kaduna Governor Uba Sani, the NSA and the ICPC chairman have arranged that I get abducted unfailingly today,” he claimed during the interview.
The exchange highlights escalating tensions between El-Rufai and the administration, including a recent airport incident where security personnel briefly held him and seized his passport upon his return to Nigeria.
Ajayi suggested potential repercussions for the ex-governor: “By the time he is picked up to produce the person who illegally tapped the NSA’s phone, he would say President Tinubu is a ‘tyrant’ and persecuting him.”
Presidential spokespersons and El-Rufai’s team provided no immediate reaction to the statements.
