The government of President Bola Tinubu has entered a three-count charge against a maor opposition figure in Nigeria, the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, alleging that he unlawfully intercepted the phone communication of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Mr. El-Rufai had during a recent television interview claimed that his team had been listening to Ribadu’s telephone conversations because he (Ribadu) had also been tapping his line.
The former Kaduna governor, who is a founding member of the ADC coalition, is pushing to make Tinubu a one-term president.
He had repeatedly called on Nigerians to vote out the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, describing the party as a threat to the nation’s unity and stability.
He was also a founding member of the APC.
In the charge the FG lodged before the Federal High Court in Abuja, through the Department of State Services (DSS), the erstwhile governor, who also served as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was said to have committed the crime with some persons who are currently on the run.
It is now left for the court to decide whether such a flippant statement was enough or was mere a political rhetoric.
FG told the court that the defendant had, on February 3, when he appeared as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time program, admitted his complicity in the crime.
El-Rufai was accused of committing an offence under section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024.
In count-two of the charge, the former governor, who is a frontline member of a coalition of opposition politicians that are dissatisfied with President Bola Tinubu’s administration, was said to be aware that someone unlawfully intercepted the NSA’s communications, but failed to report the crime to the relevant security agencies.
It was further alleged that by using technical equipment to intercept the NSA’s calls, the defendants endangered public safety and national security, and instilled “reasonable apprehension” among Nigerians, an offence in breach of section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
Recall that there was an unsucessful attempt recently to arrest El-Rufai at the Abuja airport on his return from a holiday in Egypt
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