A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai to present his defence in the ongoing case concerning the alleged interception of telephone communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the directive after dismissing el-Rufai’s no-case submission, ruling that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to require him to respond to the allegations.

The court subsequently fixed November 25 for the commencement of the defence stage, giving the former governor the opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s claims.

El-Rufai is facing a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over the alleged unlawful interception of Ribadu’s telephone communications.

During proceedings on September 22, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, urged the court to reject the application and compel the defendant to enter his defence.

Aladedoye maintained that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the former governor. He particularly drew the court’s attention to Exhibit B, which he argued contained an admission by el-Rufai relating to the alleged phone interception.

The defence, however, disagreed with the prosecution’s position. Lawyer Akinyemi Aremu argued that the evidence presented by the DSS was insufficient to establish a prima facie case against his client and urged the court to uphold the no-case submission.

El-Rufai filed the application after the prosecution concluded its case, having called two witnesses: a DSS operative and lawyer Deji Adeyanju.

With the court’s latest decision, the proceedings will move to the defence stage, where el-Rufai may present evidence and arguments in response to the allegations. The dismissal of the no-case submission does not amount to a finding of guilt, as the substantive case remains before the court.