Fresh details have emerged in the ongoing trial involving former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as witnesses told the court that the conversation he referred to during a television interview was real.
During proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, a prosecution witness revealed that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, confirmed that the discussion referenced by El-Rufai actually took place between him and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to the witness, investigators played part of the interview where El-Rufai allegedly spoke about a private conversation that had been intercepted and forwarded to him. The witness said Ribadu later acknowledged that the conversation truly happened, while the ICPC chairman also reportedly confirmed it after reviewing the interview clip.
The court also heard that veteran broadcaster Charles Aniagolu, activist lawyer Deji Adeyanju, and the cameraman involved in the interview were questioned by investigators. Their statements were later admitted as evidence during the hearing.
Prosecutors argued that El-Rufai’s comments amounted to an open admission concerning the interception of sensitive communication, adding that the issue raised concerns about national security.
However, under cross-examination, the prosecution witness admitted that investigators did not carry out any forensic examination on communication devices linked to the NSA. No IP tracing or technical analysis was reportedly done to establish how the alleged interception happened.
Despite this, the witness maintained that investigators believed further forensic checks were unnecessary after the NSA confirmed the authenticity of the conversation.
The defence team also pointed out that El-Rufai never directly claimed he personally carried out any wiretapping operation. The witness agreed with that position but insisted the former governor repeatedly stood by his statement that the conversation had been intercepted and sent to him.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik later adjourned the matter until June 22 and 23 for continuation of hearing.daily post
