Court replays El-Rufai interview in NSA phone tapping case

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday replayed an interview granted by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, testified in the alleged phone tapping case instituted against the former governor by the State Security Service.

Adeyanju testified as the second prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, telling the court that the recording accurately reflected what he witnessed during the February 13 Arise Television programme in which El-Rufai made claims about the alleged interception of a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

In his testimony, Adeyanju recalled that reports had emerged on February 12 that El-Rufai was either going to be arrested or invited by security agencies following his return from Cairo, Egypt.

He said he had publicly urged the former governor to honour any invitation from security agencies and insisted that the matter was not politically motivated.

He told the court that he and El-Rufai appeared on the same Arise Television programme on February 13, although his segment aired after the former governor’s.

“I went to Arise, and El-Rufai was also on the show. My segment came after his. During his interview, I listened to him speak on many issues, and I countered many of the things he said because they were not true or were half-truths,” he said.

Adeyanju further stated that after granting the interview, he was invited by the SSS and subsequently made a statement.

“I confirmed that El-Rufai said that someone tapped and gave him the information. I put all that into writing,” he said.

Following an application by the prosecution, the court replayed the interview earlier tendered during the testimony of the first prosecution witness.

After watching the video, Adeyanju confirmed that it reflected what he witnessed on February 13.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), Adeyanju tendered the subpoena that summoned him to testify. The document was admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibit G after defence counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), raised no objection.

The prosecution also tendered a recording of Adeyanju’s interview on the programme, along with a certificate of compliance. The court admitted the flash drive and certificate and marked them as Exhibits H and H1.

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In the recorded interview, Adeyanju maintained that if the government intended to arrest El-Rufai, the SSS would have done so at the airport.

He also referred to reports that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission was investigating the former governor.

He further stated that El-Rufai should be investigated for alleged corruption and said any prosecution should follow the conclusion of investigations.

Adeyanju also described El-Rufai as an “ardent violator of human rights” and characterised his current predicament as “karma.”

During cross-examination, Erokoro asked whether he heard El-Rufai expressly state in the interview that he tapped a telephone call.

Adeyanju replied that El-Rufai had said, “We listened to their calls.”

He added that if someone claimed a call had been hacked, he would report the matter because he did not know how it was done.

The witness, however, said he had no knowledge of whether the NSA conducted telephone conversations in a manner that allowed others to hear them and maintained that he only appeared in court because he was summoned.

Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the case until June 23 to continue the trial.

The SSS filed the five-count charge against El-Rufai in February after he claimed during an Arise Television interview that he had intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which allegedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him.

The former governor was arraigned on April 23, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100m.