The Federal Government has formally filed criminal charges against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, before the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division. The case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, names the Federal Republic of Nigeria as complainant and El-Rufai as defendant.
Court documents obtained by PUNCH Online indicate that the charges stem from statements El-Rufai made during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13, 2026, in Abuja. According to the prosecution, El-Rufai allegedly admitted to participating in, and being aware of, the unlawful interception of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu’s, phone communications.
The charges against El-Rufai are as follows:
Count One: The Federal Government alleges that El-Rufai’s admission constitutes a violation of Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, which criminalises unlawful access to communications.
Count Two: El-Rufai is accused of knowingly associating with individuals who intercepted Ribadu’s communications but failing to report their activities to the relevant security authorities, contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act, 2024.
Count Three: The prosecution claims that in 2026, El-Rufai and unidentified accomplices allegedly used technical devices or systems to intercept the NSA’s phone communications, compromising public safety and national security, in violation of Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
As of the time of filing this report, the court had not set a date for El-Rufai’s arraignment.
Further updates will follow as the case progresses.
