Alleged Phone Tapping: Court Orders El-Rufai To Open Defence

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, will have to defend himself in a case over the unlawful interception of the phone calls of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, after a Federal High Court in Abuja rejected his no-case submission on Monday.

Delivering her ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the evidence the Department of State Services (DSS) submitted was sufficient to call on the defendant to answer the charge, if he wished to.

Naija News reports that the former governor had approached the court with the no-case submission after the DSS rested its case following the testimony of two prosecution witnesses.

Through his lawyer, Akinyemi Aremu, El-Rufai contended that the prosecution had failed to prove any case against him that would require him to open a defence.

Opposing the application, the DSS counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), relied on the prosecution’s counter-affidavit.

He told the court that the defence had glossed over Exhibit B, a document the prosecution said contained El-Rufai’s admission regarding the interception of Ribadu’s phone.

Aladedoye urged the court to dismiss the application, insisting that a prima facie case had been made out against the former governor, who was therefore legally bound to defend himself.

Justice Abdulmalik upheld the DSS’s position and directed El-Rufai to open his defence.