Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, on Monday testified as the second prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over allegations of illegal interception of a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Adeyanju appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, where he told the court that a video recording played during proceedings accurately reflected what transpired during an Arise Television programme aired on February 13, 2026.
The State Security Service (SSS) had filed a five-count charge against El-Rufai following comments he made during the television interview, in which he alleged that he had access to information from a telephone conversation involving the NSA and an alleged plan to arrest him.
El-Rufai, who was arraigned on April 23, pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N100 million.
While giving evidence, Adeyanju identified the former governor as “a very popular politician and former governor of Kaduna State” and recalled that reports had emerged on February 12 suggesting El-Rufai was either under investigation or facing possible arrest by security agencies.
He told the court that before the interview, he had publicly urged El-Rufai to honour any invitation from security agencies, insisting that any investigation should not be viewed through a political lens.
During the proceedings, the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oluwole Aladedoye, tendered a subpoena served on Adeyanju, which was admitted by the court as Exhibit G without objection from defence counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN).
The court also replayed the interview video earlier tendered by the prosecution. Following the playback, Adeyanju confirmed that it reflected exactly what he witnessed during the broadcast.
In the recorded interview played before the court, Adeyanju argued that if authorities intended to arrest El-Rufai, they would have done so at the airport upon his arrival in Nigeria.
He also stated that El-Rufai should be investigated over allegations of corruption and defended in court if sufficient evidence was found against him.
Adeyanju further criticised the former governor’s record in office, describing him as a violator of human rights and asserting that his current legal challenges were a consequence of past actions.
The witness also told the court that after the television appearance, he was invited by the SSS to make a statement regarding the interview.
“I confirmed that El-Rufai said that someone tapped and gave him the information. I put all that into writing,” he said.
During cross-examination, defence counsel questioned Adeyanju on whether El-Rufai expressly stated that he personally tapped any telephone conversation.
In response, the witness said: “Mr El-Rufai said, ‘we listened to their calls.’”
The defence further suggested that hearing a conversation played on speakerphone would not necessarily amount to illegal interception or phone tapping.
Adeyanju replied that he could only speak to what was said during the interview and acknowledged that he had no knowledge of how the alleged information was obtained.
He also stated that he had no opinion on whether any specific communication device belonging to the NSA was compromised.
The witness maintained that he appeared in court solely because he was summoned and had no option but to comply.
Following the testimony, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until June 23, 2026, for continuation of trial.
The case stems from comments made by El-Rufai during a television interview in which he alleged that information from a conversation involving the NSA revealed plans by security agencies to arrest him following his return from Cairo, Egypt
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