The Department of State Services (DSS) formally closed its case against former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Prosecuting counsel Oluwole Aladedoye told the court the prosecution would not be calling any further witnesses — a development that immediately shifted the spotlight to the defence.
The case, filed as charge FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, centres on three counts alleging that El-Rufai breached the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
The DSS alleged that during a Prime Time programme on Arise Television on February 13, 2026, El-Rufai admitted that he and his associates had unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.
During an earlier court session, the video of El-Rufai’s February 13 Arise TV interview was played in court as evidence, in which he said someone had wiretapped Ribadu’s phone, allowing him to learn that the NSA had allegedly ordered his arrest.
Defence Signals No-Case Submission — Bail Bid Fails
With the DSS resting its case, defence counsel Paul Erokoro immediately told the court that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient grounds to proceed, and that the defence intends to file a formal no-case submission.
A no-case submission is a legal application arguing that the prosecution’s evidence, even taken at its highest, is insufficient to warrant the accused’s defence. If successful, it results in an outright dismissal of the charges.
The defence requested two weeks to file the application. The prosecution in turn requested two weeks to respond.
Separately, the defence also asked Justice Joyce Abdulmalik to vary El-Rufai’s existing bail conditions, which they described as impossibly strict.
The conditions include sureties who are Level 17 civil servants with properties in the upscale Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council.
The prosecution opposed the variation, insisting that qualifying civil servants who meet those conditions do exist. Justice Abdulmalik agreed with the prosecution.
“There are civil servants who own properties at the said location,” the judge ruled, declining to ease the conditions.
Trial Adjourned to September
The court subsequently adjourned proceedings to Monday, September 22, 2026, for the filing and hearing of the no-case submission.
That hearing will determine whether El-Rufai is required to open his defence at all — or whether the charges collapse entirely before that stage.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State from 2015 to 2023, has been a vocal critic of the Bola Tinubu administration. His supporters have long alleged the prosecution is politically driven.
The DSS and the federal government have consistently denied that characterisation.
Follow JolibaLive News for continued coverage of the El-Rufai wiretapping trial.
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