UPDATED: Ribadu's phone bugging: Court shifts El-Rufai's arraignment till April 23
The planned arraignment of ex-governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai over his alleged involvement in the bugging of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has
The planned arraignment of ex-governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai over his alleged involvement in the bugging of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has been shifted to April 23.
The arraignment earlier scheduled for Wednesday was shifted owing to the failure of the Department of State Service (DSS) to produce El-Rufai in court.
The DSS had filed a three-count charge of unlawfully interception of phone communications and violation of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
At the mention of the case on Wednesday, lawyer for the prosecution, Oluwole Aladeloye (SAN) told the court that the business of the day was for the arraignment of the defendant.
Aladeloye said that business would be impossible in the absence of the degendant, who could not be produced in court because he was currently with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
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He applied for an adjornment to enable the DSS liaise with the ICPC to have the defendant produced on the next date.
Lawyer to the defendant, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN) expressed discomfort that his client was not produced in court.
Iyamu argued that should the DSS actually wanted the defendant in court, it would have been easy, because El-Rufai was in the custody of a sister agency with the security outfit.
He cited sections 158 and 159 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and urged the court to either hear his client's pending bail application or order his production the next day.
Responding, Aladedoye argued that the sections of the ACJA cited by the defence lawyer were irrelevant and inapplicable because the defendant is not in DSS' custody and has never been to DSS.
Aladedoye said contrary to Iyamu's claim, El-Rufai was taken by ICPC from the custody of the EFCC.
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Ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik agreed with Aladeloye that the issue of bail was premature since the defendant has not been properly brought before the court for his arraignment.
Justice Abdulmalik said it was the responsibility of the prosecution to produce the defendant before that court.
Read Also: Ribadu: DSS’ failure to produce El-Rufai stalls arraignment on alleged unlawful phone bugging charge
She proceeded to adjourn till April 23 for arraignment.
Counts in the charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 read:
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*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.
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13t 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.
*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.
