DSS witness, Adeyanju, admits El-Rufai’s confession of wiretapping NSA’s phone

A witness of the Department of State Services, DSS, in the trial of former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on the alleged wiretapping of the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has admitted that El-Rufai confirmed the wiretapping remarks during a television interview. 

The witness, Deji Adeyanju, told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that he appeared for an interview program on Arise Television Station on February 16, the same day El-Rufai made the confession on the same television. 

Adeyanju, the second prosecution witness in the trial, told the Court that the former governor admitted during the television interview that “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, Adeyanju confirmed that he knew El-Rufai as a former governor of Kaduna State and recalled issuing a public statement after reports emerged that the former governor was to be arrested by security operatives.

The prosecution tendered the subpoena used to summon Adeyanju, which was admitted and marked as Exhibit G. 

The court also viewed the Arise Television interview involving El-Rufai, after which Adeyanju confirmed the recording and the statements allegedly made during the programme.

The prosecution subsequently tendered Adeyanju’s own interview, contained in a flash drive alongside a certificate of compliance. Both were admitted in evidence as Exhibits H and H1.

While giving evidence, Adeyanju told the court that he was later invited by the Department of State Services, DSS, where he was asked to recount what transpired at the television studio.

According to him, he confirmed to investigators that he was present when El-Rufai made the statements on air and that when further questioned during the interview, the former governor stated that someone carried out the phone tapping and passed the information to him.

Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, Adeyanju stated that while he did not hear El-Rufai specifically say he hacked the phone lines of the National Security Adviser, NSA, he heard him say, “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”

When asked whether he knew the means through which the NSA makes calls, and if he would be surprised to learn that DSS investigators did not ask the NSA which of his devices was allegedly compromised, he replied that those were not his business.

Meanwhile, the prosecution tendered an official gazette without objection from the defence. The document was admitted and marked as Exhibit I.

The matter was adjourned until June 23 the continuation of trial.

The DSS had filed a charge against El-Rufai over his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

In the three-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 was filed early before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the secret police accused the former governor of breaching the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003. 

Counts in the charge 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.

“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.