A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday replayed a television interview granted by former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju testified as a prosecution witness in the ongoing phone-tapping case brought against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
During the proceedings, the court viewed footage from an Arise Television programme in which El-Rufai allegedly made remarks about intercepted communications involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Adeyanju, who appeared on the same programme, told the court that the video accurately reflected what transpired during the broadcast.
Testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Adeyanju said he was present at the television station when El-Rufai made the statements under scrutiny. According to him, the former governor stated during the interview that conversations involving the NSA had been listened to and that the information had been passed to him.
The DSS is prosecuting El-Rufai over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted communications linked to the National Security Adviser, an act authorities claim breached provisions of Nigeria’s cybercrime and communications laws. The agency argues that the alleged conduct poses a threat to national security.
Under cross-examination, Adeyanju clarified that he did not hear El-Rufai explicitly state that he personally hacked or tapped the NSA’s phone lines. However, he maintained that the former governor openly referred to listening to conversations involving the security chief during the televised interview.
The trial forms part of a broader legal battle surrounding allegations of unlawful interception of communications and national security breaches. The court subsequently adjourned proceedings for the continuation of the case.
