Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations that he was involved in the interception of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to a five-count amended charge, marked FHC/ABJ/99/2026, when it was read to him on Thursday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. The former governor denied any wrongdoing in connection with the alleged bugging of Ribadu's phone.
However, proceedings were stalled midway during the hearing of his bail application after the court observed that a document referenced by defence counsel, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), was not included in the case file. Following an application by Iyamu, which was not opposed by prosecuting counsel Oluwole Aladeloye (SAN), the court stood down the matter to allow the defence to properly place the document before it.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the high-profile nature of both the defendant and the alleged victim. Details of the charges and the bail application are expected to be fully addressed once the missing document is resolved. Further updates will be provided as the proceedings continue.
