El-Rufai’s ‘Wiretapping’ Interview Played in Court as Deji Adeyanju Testifies

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday continued the trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, over allegations of unauthorised access to a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

During the proceedings, the court played a video of el-Rufai’s interview on Arise Television aired on February 13, 2026, in which he claimed that someone had tapped Ribadu’s phone and revealed instructions allegedly issued for his arrest.

Activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju appeared as the second witness for the Department of State Services (DSS) after being subpoenaed by the court. He told the court that reports of a possible arrest or invitation of el-Rufai had circulated on February 12, prompting him to publicly advise the former governor to cooperate with security agencies.

Adeyanju also said he appeared on Arise Television on the same day as el-Rufai’s interview. At the request of the DSS counsel, the court admitted and played both el-Rufai’s interview and Adeyanju’s separate appearance on the programme. The recordings, together with a certificate of compliance, were admitted as Exhibits H and H1.

In his testimony, Adeyanju confirmed that el-Rufai made statements alleging that Ribadu’s phone conversation had been intercepted. He added that after the television appearance, he received an invitation from the DSS, honoured it, and made a statement confirming what he had heard during the interview.

During cross-examination, defence counsel Paul Erokoro questioned whether el-Rufai had actually admitted to tapping a phone conversation. Adeyanju responded that his understanding was based on the statement that “we listened to their calls.”

When asked whether hearing a conversation played on a phone’s speaker would amount to phone tapping, Adeyanju said he would simply state the facts if he had been present during such an event. He also declined to express an opinion on whether the NSA could identify any device allegedly used to intercept his calls.

Adeyanju told the court that he testified only because he had been legally summoned and had no option but to appear.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the case until June 23 for the continuation of the trial. Earlier in the proceedings, the subpoena served on Adeyanju was admitted as an exhibit.