FG Charges El-Rufai Over NSA Phone Tapping Claim

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Federal Government has filed a three-count criminal charge against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over the alleged unlawful interception of phone communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

The charges were filed by the Federal Government through the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division.

According to the charge sheet on Monday, the prosecution accused El-Rufai of admitting during a television interview that he and others intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations.

Last week, El-Rufai had claimed during an interview on a National Television that he and unnamed individuals listened to conversations from Ribadu’s phone after it was allegedly tapped by a third party.

Although he acknowledged that such interception was unlawful, he argued that illegal surveillance was not unusual.

Details of the Charges

In Count One, the Federal Government alleged that El-Rufai, on 13 February 2026, while appearing a national television in Abuja, admitted to unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser. The offence is said to be contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.