The Nigerian government has unveiled charges against former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai for allegedly intercepting National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu’s phone.
The three-count criminal charge was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja on February 16, 2026.
The government slammed the charges against El-Rufai after the former governor, during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time program on February 13, 2026, claimed he was aware of a plot by security operatives to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport because he had access to the private communications of Ribadu.
“The NSA’s call was tapped. They do that to our calls too, and we heard him saying they should arrest me,” El-Rufai stated during the program.
In the lawsuit, the prosecution claimed that on February 13, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that he and others unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
In count one, the Federal Government alleges that the admission amounts to an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
Count two alleges that El-Rufai stated during the same interview that he knew and related with individuals who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications but failed to report them to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024.
The third count also claimed that El-Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, used technical equipment or systems to unlawfully intercept the National Security Adviser’s phone communications, an act said to have compromised public safety and national security, contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The offence in count three was said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
As of the time of filing this report, no date had been fixed for El-Rufai’s arraignment.
