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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, must defend himself against allegations that he unlawfully intercepted the telephone communications of National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the directive on Monday after dismissing a no-case submission through which the former governor sought to end the case without entering a defence.
The judge ruled that the evidence presented by the Department of State Services was sufficient to require El-Rufai to respond to the allegations levelled against him.
El-Rufai, who is the only defendant in the case, had asked the court to discharge him, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case after presenting two witnesses.
His lawyer, Akinyemi Aremu, maintained that the evidence adduced by the DSS did not justify requiring his client to defend himself.
But the prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, urged the court to reject the application, arguing that the defence had failed to adequately address a key piece of evidence tendered during the trial.
Aladedoye specifically cited Exhibit B, which he said contained an alleged admission by El-Rufai concerning the interception of Ribadu’s telephone communications.
Following the ruling, the former governor is expected to present his defence as the proceedings move to the next stage.
The court’s decision does not establish El-Rufai’s guilt, as the allegations remain subject to determination through the ongoing trial.
