Court Fixes April 23 for El-Rufai's Arraignment Over Cybercrime Allegations

The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled April 23 for the arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on charges bordering on alleged violations of cybercrime and communications laws.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after Wednesday's proceedings were stalled due to the absence of the defendant from court. The Department of State Services (DSS) had filed charges against the former governor last week, accusing him of breaches under the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act and the Nigerian Communications Act.

El-Rufai is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), having been detained since last Wednesday over separate allegations of fraud and abuse of office. His ICPC detention came shortly after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had held him for three days of interrogation on similar corruption allegations.

At Wednesday's hearing, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, informed the court that the former governor remained in ICPC custody for ongoing investigations. He explained that the DSS has no jurisdiction over the sister agency's detainees and consequently requested an adjournment to March 23.

El-Rufai's legal representative, Mr. Oluwole Iyamu, did not oppose the adjournment request but seized the opportunity to file an application for his client's bail. He cited multiple legal authorities in support of the bail application.

The prosecution however contested the bail request, arguing that it was premature since the defendant had not yet been formally arraigned. Counsel maintained that bail considerations could only properly be addressed after the arraignment process.

In her brief ruling, Justice Abdulmalik declined to grant bail at this stage, noting that her court was not yet properly seized of the matter. The judge concurred with the prosecution's position that El-Rufai could only seek bail following his formal arraignment.

The DSS charges stem from allegations that El-Rufai was involved in the unauthorised interception of telephone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

The three-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, alleges that the former governor admitted during a February 13, 2026 appearance on Arise TV's Prime Time Programme that he and associates had unlawfully intercepted the NSA's phone communications.

The first count alleges that El-Rufai admitted during the interview to unlawfully intercepting Ribadu's communications, an offence contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.

The second count states that he admitted knowing individuals who carried out the interception without reporting them to security agencies, contrary to Section 27(b) of the same Act.

The third count alleges that El-Rufai and others at large used technical equipment that compromised public safety and national security by intercepting the NSA's communications, an offence punishable under Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.