- Safiu Kehinde
The Department of State Services (DSS) has fixed February 25 for the arraignment of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged breach of the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, (2024), and the Nigerian Communications Act (2003).
NPO Reported that the DSS had earlier this week filed a lawsuit against El-Rufai days after admitting tapping into the telephone conversation of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
The former Kaduna governor made the admission while speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme last week Friday.
In the wake of the confession, the DSS charged El-Rufai before the Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged cybercrime.
The court documents confirmed his appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s Prime Time Programme on February 13, 2026, where he disclosed tapping into the Ribadu’s phone calls.
Count One of the cybercrime charge filed under FHC/ABJ/ C2/99/2026 read; “That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did admit during the interview that you and your cohorts unlawfully intercepted the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12 (1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
Count Two read; “That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did state during the interview that you know and relate with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, without reporting the said individual to relevant Security agencies and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
Count Three read “That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, and other still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with others still at large did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to which you admitted during an interview on 13th February, 2026, on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131 (2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.”