A witness for the Department of State Services, Deji Adeyanju, testified at the Federal High Court in Abuja regarding the trial of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai. The case centers on accusations that El-Rufai intercepted the telephone communications of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. Adeyanju, serving as the second prosecution witness, stated that El-Rufai openly acknowledged during a February 16, 2026, Arise Television interview that his group had listened to the NSA’s conversations.
During the court session, the prosecution presented several items as evidence, including the subpoena for Adeyanju, labeled Exhibit G, and the recording of the television program alongside Adeyanju’s own interview, marked as Exhibits H and H1. Adeyanju explained that he was interviewed by the DSS after they invited him to recount the events of that television appearance. He confirmed that El-Rufai mentioned a third party carried out the interception and subsequently shared the information with him.
Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Paul Erokoro, Adeyanju clarified that while he did not hear the former governor explicitly state that he personally hacked the devices, he did hear the direct admission that they had accessed the NSA’s communications. The court also admitted an official gazette as Exhibit I into the records. The trial, which concerns three counts of alleged breaches of the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act and the Nigerian Communications Act, has been adjourned until June 23 for further proceedings.
