The Department of State Services (DSS) will on Wednesday, February 25, arraign Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, over alleged cybercrime and breach of national security.
El-Rufai is expected to appear before Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against the former governor on Monday, accusing him of unlawfully intercepting a telephone conversation involving Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA).
According to the secret police, the alleged offence contravenes the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The charge follows El-Rufai’s comments during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television, where he claimed that “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone. He alleged that he was able to listen to the NSA directing security operatives to effect his arrest.
On February 18, the DSS briefly took El-Rufai into custody after he had spent two nights with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He is also currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption during his tenure as Kaduna governor.
The development adds another legal hurdle for the former Federal Capital Territory minister, who now faces multiple investigations from Nigeria’s anti-corruption and security agencies.
