Court Rejects El-Rufai’s No-Case Submission, Orders Him to Enter Defence in Alleged Wiretapping Trial
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in his ongoing trial over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the ruling on Monday, October 26, 2026, holding that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to warrant calling on El-Rufai to enter his defence, if he so desires.
The case was instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS), which accused the former governor of involvement in the alleged interception of Ribadu’s telephone communications. The allegations followed comments El-Rufai reportedly made during a television interview in February 2026, in which he claimed that someone had intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations and shared the information with him.
El-Rufai’s legal team had filed the no-case submission after the prosecution concluded its case with the testimony of two witnesses. Through his counsel, the former governor argued that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish a prima facie case against him and urged the court to discharge and acquit him without requiring him to present a defence.
However, the prosecution opposed the application, maintaining that the oral and documentary evidence presented before the court was sufficient to require the defendant to respond to the allegations.
In dismissing the application, Justice Abdulmalik ruled that the evidence warranted proceeding to the defence stage of the trial. The decision does not amount to a conviction; rather, it allows the proceedings to continue so that the allegations can be addressed through the judicial process.
The court subsequently adjourned the case until November 25, 2026, for the defence to begin its presentation.
The development marks another stage in the legal proceedings against the former governor, with the court expected to hear his response to the prosecution’s evidence as the trial continues.
