The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday replayed a television interview granted by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as the trial over allegations that he intercepted a phone conversation involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu continued.
Human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, appearing as the second prosecution witness, told the court that the recording accurately reflected statements made by El-Rufai during an Arise Television programme aired on February 13.
Testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Adeyanju said reports had circulated a day earlier suggesting that El-Rufai could be arrested or invited by security agencies following his return from Cairo, Egypt.
He said he publicly advised the former governor to honour any invitation from security agencies, maintaining that the issue should not be viewed through a political lens.
According to Adeyanju, he appeared on the same Arise Television programme as El-Rufai, although his segment aired after the former governor’s interview.
“I listened to him speak on several issues and challenged many of the claims he made because they were either inaccurate or only partly true,” he told the court.
Adeyanju said he was later invited by the State Security Service (SSS), where he made a statement concerning comments made during the interview.
“I confirmed that El-Rufai said someone had intercepted the communication and passed the information to him. I documented everything in my statement,” he said.
At the request of the prosecution, the court replayed the interview, which had earlier been tendered by the first prosecution witness. After viewing the recording, Adeyanju affirmed that it accurately represented what transpired during the broadcast.
The witness also tendered the subpoena compelling his appearance in court, which was admitted as evidence without objection from the defence. The court further admitted a flash drive containing Adeyanju’s own interview on the programme, alongside a certificate of compliance.
In the recorded interview, Adeyanju argued that if authorities intended to arrest El-Rufai, they could have done so upon his arrival in Nigeria. He also referred to reports that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) was investigating the former governor.
He maintained that any allegations of corruption against El-Rufai should be investigated and, where necessary, prosecuted in accordance with the law. He also described the former governor as an “ardent violator of human rights” and suggested that his current legal troubles amounted to “karma.”
During cross-examination, defence counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN) asked whether El-Rufai had expressly admitted to tapping a telephone conversation.
Adeyanju responded that the former governor had stated during the interview that “we listened to their calls.”
The witness added that he would report any claim of intercepted communications to authorities because he would not know how such an act was carried out. However, he said he had no knowledge of how the NSA conducted telephone conversations or whether they could be accessed by third parties.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until June 23 for continuation of the trial.
The SSS filed a five-count charge against El-Rufai in February after he allegedly claimed during a television interview that he had obtained details of a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which purportedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him.
El-Rufai who was arraigned on April 23, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100 million.