The trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations relating to the interception of a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, continued on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with the court replaying a controversial television interview that forms part of the prosecution’s evidence.
During the proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju appeared as the second prosecution witness in the case brought by the State Security Service (SSS).
Adeyanju told the court that the video recording played during the hearing accurately reflected events from a February 13 appearance by El-Rufai on Arise Television, during which the former governor made remarks concerning an alleged intercepted conversation involving the NSA.
Giving his account, Adeyanju said public speculation had emerged a day earlier suggesting that security agencies might either invite or arrest El-Rufai upon his return from Cairo, Egypt.
According to him, he had publicly advised the former governor to cooperate with any security invitation, stressing at the time that the matter should not be viewed through a political lens.
He further explained that both he and El-Rufai featured on the same Arise Television programme on February 13, though they appeared in separate segments.
“I went to Arise, and El-Rufai was also on the show. My segment came after his. During his interview, I listened to him speak on many issues, and I countered many of the things he said because they were not true or were half-truths,” he told the court.
The witness added that after the programme, he was invited by the SSS to provide a statement concerning what he had heard during the interview.
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“I confirmed that El-Rufai said that someone tapped and gave him the information. I put all that into writing,” he said.
Following a request by the prosecution team, the court replayed the television interview that had earlier been tendered through the first prosecution witness.
After viewing the footage in court, Adeyanju affirmed that the contents accurately represented what transpired during the February 13 broadcast.
During the hearing, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN) tendered the subpoena compelling Adeyanju’s appearance in court. The document was admitted as Exhibit G after defence counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN) indicated he had no objection.
The prosecution also submitted a flash drive containing Adeyanju’s own television interview, along with a certificate of compliance. Both items were admitted into evidence and marked as Exhibits H and H1.
In the interview played before the court, Adeyanju argued that had the government genuinely intended to detain El-Rufai, the SSS would have acted immediately upon his arrival at the airport.
He also referenced reports alleging that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was examining activities linked to the former governor.
The activist maintained that allegations of corruption against El-Rufai deserved proper investigation and said any criminal proceedings should only follow the completion of such inquiries.
During the same interview, Adeyanju described El-Rufai as an “ardent violator of human rights” and characterised his current predicament as “karma.”
Under cross-examination, defence counsel Erokoro sought clarification on whether Adeyanju had actually heard El-Rufai state that he personally tapped any telephone conversation.
In response, the witness recalled that El-Rufai had said, “We listened to their calls.”
Adeyanju further stated that if anyone informed him that a telephone conversation had been hacked, he would feel obligated to report the matter because he would not know the method used to obtain such information.
However, he acknowledged that he had no knowledge of the communication methods employed by the National Security Adviser or whether such conversations could be overheard by third parties. He also stressed that his appearance in court was solely in compliance with the subpoena served on him.
At the end of the proceedings, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until June 23 for the continuation of trial.
The SSS instituted the five-count charge against El-Rufai in February after comments he made during the Arise Television interview, where he claimed to have obtained information from a telephone conversation involving Ribadu that allegedly pointed to plans by security operatives to arrest him.
El-Rufai was arraigned on April 23, entered a plea of not guilty to all charges, and was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N100 million.
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