Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, the Department of State Services, has filed a three-count criminal charge against former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai over allegations bordering on cybercrime and threats to national security.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, El-Rufai is scheduled to be arraigned on February 25 before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho, assigned the case to her.
Court documents marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 show that the DSS accused the former governor of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The agency alleged that during a February 13 appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, El-Rufai admitted that he and associates had intercepted the NSA’s communications. The offence is said to contravene provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
In a second count, prosecutors claimed El-Rufai acknowledged during the same interview that he knew someone who had illegally intercepted the NSA’s communications but failed to report the matter to security agencies, an act punishable under the same law.
The third count alleges that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical equipment in Abuja in 2026 to unlawfully intercept the NSA’s communications, an action the DSS said compromised public safety and national security, contrary to the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
During the televised interview, El-Rufai had claimed he overheard Ribadu directing security operatives to detain him, linking the alleged directive to what he described as an attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 after returning from Cairo, Egypt.
The case adds to a series of legal challenges facing the former governor. He was recently detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over corruption allegations. Although he was later granted administrative bail, he was reportedly taken into custody immediately afterward by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission.
Confirming the development, ICPC spokesperson John Odey said in a message to journalists that El-Rufai remains in the commission’s custody in connection with ongoing investigations.