The Federal Government, through the Department of State Services (DSS), on Monday sued El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a three-count charge over the alleged interception of communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
According to the court charge sheet, the government stated that El-Rufai admitted that he and his cohorts allegedly intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations.
In an interview on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Program in Abuja, El-Rufai claimed that he and other unnamed individuals listened to conversations from Ribadu’s phone after it was tapped by a third party.
While acknowledging that such interception is technically unlawful, El-Rufai argued that illegal surveillance was not unusual.
