Activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju, serving as a witness for the Department of State Services (DSS), testified in a Federal High Court in Abuja that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai reportedly admitted during a televised interview that conversations of the National Security Adviser had been monitored.
Adeyanju, who is the second prosecution witness in the ongoing case, stated that he appeared on an Arise Television program on February 16, 2026, the same date as El-Rufai’s interview in which the alleged admission occurred.
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He quoted El-Rufai as saying, “we listened to the conversations of the NSA,” referring to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The witness mentioned that he confirmed his presence at the television studio when questioned by DSS investigators and added that El-Rufai suggested during the interview that another person was responsible for the alleged phone tapping and had shared that information with him.
Prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye submitted various exhibits, including a subpoena for Adeyanju and video recordings of both his media appearance and El-Rufai’s interview. These were accepted as evidence without any objections from the defense.
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The court also examined the Arise Television broadcast, and Adeyanju reiterated that the statements attributed to El-Rufai were indeed made on air.
During cross-examination, Adeyanju clarified that while he did not hear El-Rufai explicitly state he personally hacked the NSA’s phone lines, he stood by his account that the former governor remarked they “listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
The trial, which the DSS is prosecuting, revolves around allegations that El-Rufai breached the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
The DSS has charged the former governor with three counts of unlawfully intercepting communications involving the National Security Adviser.
The proceedings are set to continue on June 23, 2026.
