The Department of State Services (DSS), will arraign former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, next week, over alleged cybercrime and breach of national security.
The former governor will be arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
On Wednesday, the DSS briefly took El-Rufai into custody after he spent two nights with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegation of misappropriation of funds as governor.
El-Rufai had said that someone wiretapped the phone of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, allowing him to listen to the NSA directing security operatives to effect his arrest.
The DSS had on Monday filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai for allegedly intercepting the NSA’s telephone conversation.
In count one, El Rufai was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in Abuja, admitted that he and his cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the NSA, Ribadu.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
In count two, the ex-governor was alleged to have, on February 13, while appearing as a guest on Arise Television, stated that he knew and related with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of NSA, without reporting the said individual to relevant security agencies.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
Count three alleged that El Rufai and others still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilled reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians, to unlawfully intercept the NSA’s phone communications.
The DSS said the alleged offence contravened the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
Recall that El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over alleged corruption during his stint as Kaduna governor.
