FG Files 3 Count Charge Of Cybercrime Against Nasir El Rufai

— Nasir El Rufai

By Muyiwa Akinola

The Federal Government has filed a 3 Count charge of cybercrime against former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai. The charges against him stem from his comments in a television interview last week where he admitted to having access to the telephone conversation of the National Security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The first count reads that his comments contravenes section 12 subsection 1 of the cybercrime act amendment act 2024.

Count 2 reads that having contact with an indibvidual who has illegal access to the phone calls of the NSA without reporting to the Security agencies is punishable under Section 27 of the Cybercrime prevention and prohibition act 2024 as amended.

Count 3 that he and other persons still at large used technical equipments or systems which compromised public safety, National Security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the phone calls of the National Security Adviser which is punishable under section 131 subsection 2 of the Nigerian Communications Act.

A date has not been set for his arraignment and El-Rufai has not publicly responded to the charges as of the time of filing this report.

However, El-Rufai’s comment during the televised interview on Arise TV on Friday was made against the backdrop of heightened hostility between him and the President Tinubu administration.

Tinubu initially nominated El-Rufai as minister at the inception of his administration in 2023. But Mr El-Rufai was dropped under controversial circumstances, after the Senate refused to clear him, citing security concerns.

Mr El-Rufai alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had “procured” the SSS to arrest him. He insisted that Mr Ribadu personally ordered his arrest.

When asked how he knew about the alleged directive, Mr El-Rufai said: “He made the call because we listen to their calls. The government believes it is the only one listening to calls, but we have our ways.”

Pressed on whether the NSA’s phone was tapped, he replied: “Someone tapped his phone,” while acknowledging that such interception was technically illegal.

Following the broadcast, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, described the remarks as a “confession” and called for an investigation, questioning whether the former governor and his associates possessed wire-tapping capabilities.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, also said the admission warranted scrutiny.

According to a report by Punch Newspapers, security experts and legal practitioners warned that the unlawful interception of the NSA’s communications, if established, could constitute a serious breach of national security protocol.

They cited constitutional and statutory provisions that guarantee the privacy of communications and criminalise unauthorised interception except under lawful authority.