Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 26, 2026, to rule on a no-case submission filed by Nasir el-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, in a case involving alleged unlawful interception of telephone conversations.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date on Tuesday after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution teams.
Paul Erokoro, counsel to el-Rufai, urged the court to discharge and acquit his client of the five-count amended charge. He argued that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case requiring the former governor to enter a defence.
Erokoro asked the court to uphold the no-case submission and bring the proceedings to an end.
However, Oluwole Aladedoye, prosecution counsel, urged the court to dismiss the application and direct el-Rufai to open his defence. He argued that the oral and documentary evidence presented before the court was sufficient to establish a case against the defendant.
El-Rufai is facing a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that telephone conversations linked to Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, were unlawfully intercepted.
The Federal Government had earlier closed its case after calling two witnesses.
The case centres on allegations surrounding the interception of Ribadu’s telephone conversations. In February 2026, el-Rufai said during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme that “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to hear the NSA instruct security operatives to arrest him.
The October 26 ruling will determine whether the former governor will be required to enter a defence or whether the case will proceed no further at the trial court.
