A witness in the trial of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has told a court that the ex-governor admitted on television to listening in on the National Security Adviser’s phone conversations.
Barrister Deji Adeyanju, the second prosecution witness, testified on Monday before the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was present during an Arise Television programme on February 13 when El-Rufai made the statement.
Adeyanju quoted El-Rufai as saying: “We listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
The Department of State Services (DSS) has charged El-Rufai with three counts related to the alleged unlawful interception of communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The charges cite violations of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye, Adeyanju confirmed he knew El-Rufai as the former governor of Kaduna State. He also recounted issuing a public statement following reports of a possible arrest.
The court reviewed footage of the Arise TV interview. Adeyanju identified both the recording and the statements made during the broadcast. His own interview with investigators, stored on a flash drive with a certificate of compliance, was admitted into evidence.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Paul Erokoro, Adeyanju maintained his account. “While he did not hear El-Rufai explicitly say he hacked the NSA’s phone lines, he did hear him say that his cohorts ‘listened to the conversations of the NSA’,” the witness told the court.
Adeyanju added that El-Rufai, when pressed further, indicated that someone had carried out the phone tapping and passed the information to him.
The prosecution also tendered an official gazette, which was admitted without objection.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was adjourned to Tuesday, June 23, for continuation of trial.
El-Rufai has not yet entered a plea on the charges, which allege he admitted to intercepting Ribadu’s communications, associated with individuals involved without reporting them, and used technical equipment in a manner that compromised national security.
