By Ken Chiwendu
The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the case against former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to April 23 for arraignment.
The DSS filed a three-count charge against him over the alleged unlawful interception of communications, following comments he made during a television interview.
The court had earlier fixed February 25 for the former governor’s arraignment.
El – Rufai was absent during Wednesday’s proceedings.
Counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoyin, informed the court that the former governor is still in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), where he is under investigation for alleged misappropriation of funds.
Thereafter , the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the case to April 23 for arraignment.
The former governor was arrested by the DSS ,last week over the alleged interception of communications belonging to Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai had claimed in an interview 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, he argued that illegal surveillance was not unusual.
The DSS filed a 3 – count charge against him. According to the charge sheet El-Rufai admitted that he and his cohorts allegedly intercepted the NSA’s phone conversations.
The charge filed at the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division, lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as the defendant.
