The Federal Government, through the Department of State Services (DSS), has filed a three-count criminal charge against former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting phone communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The charges, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 and lodged on February 16, 2026, stem directly from statements El-Rufai made during a live interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13, 2026. In the broadcast, El-Rufai claimed that an unnamed individual intercepted Ribadu’s phone conversations, allowing him to hear the NSA allegedly instructing security operatives to arrest him upon his return to Nigeria.
Court documents detail the counts as follows: The first accuses El-Rufai of admitting on air that he and his “cohorts” unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s communications, an offence punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The second count alleges that El-Rufai acknowledged knowing and associating with the individual responsible for the interception but failed to report the matter to relevant security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the same Cybercrimes Act amendment.
The third count charges that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment or systems to compromise public safety and national security and instil reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians through the interception, punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The filing comes amid escalating tensions between El-Rufai and federal authorities. The former governor, a prominent critic of the current administration and a member of opposition coalitions, has faced prior scrutiny, including passport seizure by the DSS.