DSS Witness: Ribadu Verified Wiretap El-Rufai Cited

A prosecution witness for the Department of State Services (DSS) told the Federal High Court in Abuja that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu confirmed the authenticity of a telephone conversation referenced by Nasir El-Rufai during a television interview.

The witness, identified only as APC for security reasons, testified on Tuesday as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former Kaduna State governor, who is facing charges related to alleged breaches of national security.

El-Rufai is accused of unlawfully referencing an intercepted conversation involving Ribadu during a televised interview in February. In the interview, the former governor claimed that a source had wiretapped a discussion between the NSA and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Aliyu, and forwarded the recording to him.

According to the DSS witness, investigators subsequently questioned both Ribadu and Aliyu, and each confirmed that the conversation cited by El-Rufai had indeed taken place.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecution, led by Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), submitted a flash drive containing the 43-minute Arise News interview in which El-Rufai discussed the alleged wiretap. The court admitted the recording and played it in open court.

The witness said investigators also obtained statements from the programme’s anchor, Charles Aniagolu, lawyer Deji Adeyanju, and cameraman Ugochukwu Agalayana, all of which were admitted as exhibits.

He told the court that the DSS concluded El-Rufai had effectively made an open admission by acknowledging that the conversation was intercepted and sent to him, an act investigators considered capable of undermining national security.

Under cross-examination by El-Rufai’s counsel, Chief Paul Erokoro (SAN), the witness admitted that no forensic examination was conducted on Ribadu’s communication devices and that no IP addresses were traced in connection with the alleged interception.

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He also acknowledged that El-Rufai never claimed he personally carried out the wiretapping, but insisted that the former governor repeatedly affirmed receiving information obtained through an intercepted conversation.

When asked whether El-Rufai may have exaggerated during a politically charged interview, the witness said he regarded the former governor as a credible individual and believed he meant what he said.

Justice Joyce AbdulMalik adjourned the case to June 22 and June 23 for continuation of trial.

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