Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was brought to the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday by the Department of State Services (DSS) for the continuation of his trial regarding the alleged interception of the National Security Adviser’s telephone conversations.
The Federal High Court in Abuja witnessed a heavy security presence on Monday morning as operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) brought the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, to the court premises. Stern-looking secret police cordoned off the surroundings immediately after the former governor arrived at about 8:55 a.m. The deployment disrupted the routine operations of the court facility, as journalists, staff, and other regular users were temporarily barred from entering the building. The restrictive security measures sparked a brief protest at the gates led by activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who argued that the court is a public entity that must remain open to any citizen wishing to observe judicial proceedings.
The operation to bring the former governor to court began earlier in the morning at a separate law enforcement facility where he was being held on separate charges. An anonymous staff member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) confirmed that DSS operatives arrived at their complex at dawn to transport the high-profile defendant. “Yes, the ongoing case in court is not our case. They (DSS operatives) came to pick him here at about 7:00am in order to arraign him in court,” the source disclosed. The tight coordination underscores the high stakes surrounding the prosecution, which has seen collaboration between multiple federal security and anti-graft agencies.
The legal proceedings center on a multi-count amended charge filed by the Federal Government against El-Rufai under the Cybercrimes Act, following an interview in which he claimed to have listened to intercepted communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. The former governor has previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, which accuse him of unauthorized access to classified data and unlawful interception of communications. Despite the early morning friction at the court gates, the scheduled hearing marks a key stage in the prosecution as the trial judge manages both the security concerns of the state and the fundamental right to an open, public trial.
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