Breaking: The Federal Government has brought formal charges against Nasir El-Rufai, the former Kaduna State governor. The case, labeled FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, has been filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the Federal Republic of Nigeria acting as the complainant and El-Rufai as the defendant.
Court documents obtained by PUNCH Online reveal that on February 13, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time program in Abuja, El-Rufai reportedly admitted that he and others unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Count one asserts that this admission constitutes an offense under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count two contends that El-Rufai stated during the same interview that he knew and was connected to individuals who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications, but did not report them to the appropriate security agencies, in violation of Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024.
Count three alleges that, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, El-Rufai and others at large employed technical equipment or systems to intercept the National Security Adviser’s phone communications unlawfully. This act is described as a threat to public safety and national security and is said to breach Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The third count also refers to this offense as being punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
As of this report, no arraignment date has been set for El-Rufai.
Details to follow…
