Tag: ElRufai

 

Former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State on Tuesday opted for a no-case submission in his ongoing trial over alleged beach of national security.

The ex-governor made this known through his lawyer, Paul Erokoro, SAN, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, shortly after the Department of State Services (DSS) closed it case.

When the case was called, the DSS lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling further witnesses in the matter.

Aladedoye said with the evidence led so far, the prosecution was satisfied that it had been able to establish the offences with which El-Rufai was charged.

Following the development, Erokoro notified the court that the defence planned to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence against the former governor.

He, therefore, sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested two weeks to respond.

Erokoro also applied for a variation of some of the bail conditions earlier granted to El-Rufai, describing them as stringent and difficult to meet.

He argued that the bail terms were too stringent, particularly the requirements for level 17 civil servants with properties in Maitama or Asokoro, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State traditional council.

Aladedoye, however, opposed the request, insisting that qualified public officers who meet the conditions exist and urging the court to refuse the application.

Justice Abdulmalik, in her ruling, declined the application to vary the bail conditions.

The judge held that there are civil servants who own properties at the said location.

She adjourned the matter until Sept. 22 for the filing of the no-case submission and continuation of trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the DSS had sued El-Rufai after he claimed, during an Arise Tv interview, that he intercepted a telephone conversation involving the the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.

The ex-governor had alleged that the conversation, on the telephone, revealed instructions to security operatives to arrest him.

He linked the alleged directive to an incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Feb. 12 after his return from Cairo, Egypt.

El-Rufai, who was arraigned on April 23 for allegedly intercepting the phone conversations of the telephone line of the NSA, pleaded not guilty to the five-count further amended charge.

 

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday accused the family of former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of allegedly inciting public opinion against the judiciary over the ex-governor’s detention and bail conditions.

DSS’ lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, made the allegation before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, shortly after the case was called for trial continuation.

Aladedoye told the court that relatives of the former governor had repeatedly used social media and press engagement to portray the prosecution and security agencies as persecuting the defendant.

He cited an incident on May 15 where one of El-Rufai’s wives allegedly arrived at the ICPC’s facility with cameramen and began livestreaming and claiming that her husband was being denied food and access to family members.

The senior lawyer further alleged that a popular politician also published claims, suggesting El-Rufai could be harmed in custody, forcing security operatives to move him to DSS custody to avoid further controversy.

According to the prosecution, the situation escalated when members of the defendant’s family, including two wives and a son, reportedly went to the DSS headquarters with journalists and publicly criticised the court’s bail conditions.

Aladedoye argued that rather than pursue their grievances through legal channels, the family resorted to media campaigns capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.

He, therefore, urged the court to caution the defendant and his family against further public attacks, insisting that the matter before the court was a criminal prosecution and not a political persecution.

Responding, defence counsel, E. E. Ekere, said he was unaware of the allegations raised by the prosecution.

Ekere submitted that El-Rufai should not be held responsible for comments made outside the courtroom.

He, however, said that the defence team would advise the ex-govenor’s family members and sympathisers to exercise restraint.

Justice Abdulmalik, while reacting, stated that she pays no attention to social media narratives.

The judge, who stated that issues circulating online should remain outside courtroom proceedings, directed that the trial should continue.

The prosecution counsel then called the 1st prosecution witness (PW-1), identified as APC, to continue his evidence.

Aladedoye then tendered a silver flash drive and a certificate of compliance through the witness, which were admitted as Exhibits B and B1 respectively.

The judge directed that the video recording of interview granted by El-Rufai, which is saved in the flash drive be played in the open court.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the former governor is being prosecuted over alleged breach of national security.

El-Rufai, who was arraigned on April 23 for allegedly intercepting the phone conversations of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, pleaded not guilty to the five-count further amended charge.

Details later

 

By ADC Vanguard

When APC labels El-Rufai as “finished,” they deliberately forget he was the governor who digitized Kaduna, brought electronic voting into Nigeria’s democracy, and gave Abuja its modern shape as FCT Minister. His fierce honesty is not rebellion; it is vision. History does not belong to those who bow; it belongs to those who bend the arc of change.

 

What APC refuses to admit is this: in the Northwest, no serious political movement can ignore El-Rufai’s reach. From Zaria to Zuru, his coalition of reform-minded youth, clerics, and technocrats is awake, angry, and mobilized. It was this same ecosystem that kept Kaduna ahead in governance reforms, and now it is converging within ADC.

With El-Rufai anchoring ADC in the Northwest, the terrain shifts. He is not just a former governor or minister; he is a master strategist who understands both grassroots mobilization and elite consensus. 2027 will prove one thing: you can attempt to sideline him, but you cannot erase his imprint on Nigeria’s political chessboard.