The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday viewed video recordings of television broadcasts featuring former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju, as the trial of the former governor over alleged phone-tapping resumed.
Mr. Adeyanju, testifying as the second prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, confirmed to the court that the video clip accurately reflected what he witnessed during an Arise News program broadcast on February 13.
The State Security Service (SSS) is prosecuting Mr. El-Rufai on a five-count charge alleging the illegal interception of telephone conversations belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. Mr. El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is currently out on a N100 million bail.
The prosecution’s case hinges on statements Mr. El-Rufai made during the television interview, where he claimed he was privy to a phone call in which the NSA allegedly ordered security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport following his return from Cairo, Egypt, on February 12.
At the resumption of proceedings on Monday, the prosecution lead, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), tendered the subpoena summoning Mr. Adeyanju to testify. With no objection from defense counsel Paul Erokoro (SAN), Justice Abdulmalik admitted the document as Exhibit G.
Led in evidence by the prosecution, Mr. Adeyanju recalled that following public reports on February 12 regarding a potential arrest or invitation of the former governor, he had publicly urged Mr. El-Rufai to submit himself to security agencies for investigation.
Mr. Adeyanju explained that he was subsequently invited as a guest on Arise News on February 13, appearing on the segment immediately following Mr. El-Rufai’s interview.
“I went to Arise, and El-Rufai was also on the show. My segment came after his. During his interview, I listened to him speak on many issues, and I countered many of the things he said because they were not true or were half-truths,” Mr. Adeyanju testified.
The prosecution then applied to play the recording of Mr. El-Rufai’s interview, which was the same video presented during the testimony of the first prosecution witness (code-named APC) in May. In the footage, Mr. El-Rufai is heard saying that “the government used to listen to our calls” and that “someone tapped the National Security Adviser’s phone call” and briefed him on the alleged arrest directive.
The prosecution also tendered a flash drive containing Mr. Adeyanju’s subsequent interview segment, along with a certificate of compliance. The court admitted the items as Exhibits H and H1.
In his televised segment, Mr. Adeyanju had argued that the SSS would have arrested the former governor at the airport if that had been their primary objective, suggesting instead that Mr. El-Rufai’s passport might have been flagged due to a watch list. He dismissed claims of political persecution, describing the former governor’s situation as “karma” and referencing alleged human rights violations and property demolitions under Mr. El-Rufai’s administration in Kaduna.
Following the video screening, Mr. Adeyanju told the court that he was later invited by the SSS to their office, where he “reluctantly made a statement” confirming what he heard the former governor say on air. The written statement was identified by the witness and marked as Exhibit E.
During cross-examination, defense counsel Mr. Erokoro asked if the witness heard Mr. El-Rufai explicitly state that he personally tapped the NSA’s phone. Mr. Adeyanju responded that the former governor used the phrase, “We listened to their calls.”
Mr. Erokoro argued that overhearing a conversation via a speakerphone does not amount to intercepting or tapping a call. Although the prosecution objected to this line of questioning, the defense maintained it was relevant under Section 7 of the Evidence Act. Mr. Adeyanju stated he could not comment on how the NSA made his calls or whether his devices were compromised.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to Tuesday, June 23, for the continuation of the trial.
