A witness of the Department of State Services (DSS), activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju, has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai allegedly confirmed during a televised interview that conversations of the National Security Adviser were monitored.
Adeyanju, who is the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, testified that he appeared on an Arise Television programme on February 16, 2026 the same day El-Rufai also featured on the station where the alleged admission was made.
According to him, El-Rufai was quoted as saying, “we listened to the conversations of the NSA,” referring to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The witness said he later confirmed his presence at the television studio when DSS investigators questioned him, adding that El-Rufai further suggested during the interview that another individual carried out the alleged phone tapping and relayed the information to him.
During proceedings, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye tendered multiple exhibits, including a subpoena used to summon Adeyanju and video recordings of both El-Rufai’s interview and Adeyanju’s own media appearance. These were admitted as evidence without objection from the defence.
The court also reviewed the Arise Television broadcast, after which Adeyanju maintained that the statements attributed to El-Rufai were made on air.
Under cross-examination, Adeyanju clarified that while he did not hear El-Rufai explicitly say he personally hacked the NSA’s phone lines, he maintained that the former governor stated they “listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
The trial, which is being prosecuted by the DSS, is based on allegations that El-Rufai violated provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
The DSS, Department of State Services, has accused the former governor in a three-count charge filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, alleging unlawful interception of communications involving the National Security Adviser.
The case was adjourned to June 23, 2026, for continuation of trial proceedings.
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