The federal government of Nigeria has filed charges against Nasir El-Rufai, a former Governor of Kaduna State in north-western Nigeria, in connection with the alleged interception of phone communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, was filed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the Federal High Court, Abuja Judicial Division, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
According to the prosecution, the charges stem from statements El-Rufai allegedly made on Friday, February 13, 2026, during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme in Abuja. Prosecutors claim he admitted that he and others unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications.
In the first count, the federal government alleges that the admission amounts to an offence that is contrary to, and punishable under, Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
The second count alleges that El-Rufai said during the same interview that he knew and related with people who unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s phone communications, but did not report them to relevant security agencies, an allegation prosecutors say is contrary to Section 27(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.
A third count alleges that El-Rufai and others who are still at large, sometime in 2026 in Abuja, used technical equipment or systems to unlawfully intercept the National Security Adviser’s phone communications. The filing claims the alleged interception compromised public safety and national security, and says it is contrary to Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
As of Monday, February 16, 2026, the court had not fixed a date for El-Rufai’s arraignment.