The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in a case involving the alleged unlawful interception of telephone conversations linked to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require El-Rufai to enter his defence against the five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The judge directed the former governor to open his defence and adjourned the case until November 25, 2026.

El-Rufai filed the no-case submission after the Federal Government closed its case, having called two prosecution witnesses. Through his lawyer, Paul Erokoro, he urged the court to discharge and acquit him, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.

However, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye opposed the application, maintaining that the oral and documentary evidence presented before the court was sufficient to require the defendant to respond to the allegations.

In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik agreed with the prosecution and held that the case should proceed to the defence stage, rejecting El-Rufai’s request for discharge and acquittal at this point in the proceedings.

The charges arose from comments El-Rufai made during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme in February 2026, when he alleged that Ribadu’s telephone conversations had been intercepted.

During the interview, the former governor said “someone wiretapped” the NSA’s phone, allowing him to listen to a conversation in which Ribadu allegedly instructed security operatives to arrest him.

The allegation subsequently formed the basis of the DSS prosecution. With the court’s latest ruling, El-Rufai is expected to present his defence when proceedings resume on November 25, 2026.