The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday fixed Oct. 26 for ruling in a no-case submission filed by former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State in the alleged phone-tapping filed against him by the State Security Service, SSS.
Mr El-Rufai is being prosecuted on allegations bordering on breach of national security, following his alleged admission of wiretapping phone conversations of Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after the ex-governor’s lawyer, Akinyemi Aremu, and the DSS’ counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the no-case submission.
Earlier, Aremu, who appeared for El-Rufai, adopted their pricesses.
He urged the court to hold that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring the former governor to enter a defence.
In response, the DSS counsel adopted their counter affidavit in opposition to the no-case submission.
Aladedoye argued that the defence failed to address Exhibit “B”, which the prosecution said contained El-Rufai’s alleged admission concerning the tapping of Ribadu’s phone.
He submitted that since the prosecution had established a prima facie case against El-Rufai, the defendant is required by law to enter his defence.
The senior lawyer prayed the court to dismiss the application and order El-Rufai to enter his defence.
After listening to the lawyers’ arguments, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until Oct. 26 for ruling.
NAN recalls that the DSS had called two witnesses; an operative of the service and a legal practitioner, Deji Adeyanju, to established their case against El-Rufai.
Adeyanju, who testified as a subpoenaed witness, had told the court that the ex-governor allegedly admitted on a national television interview that he wiretapped the phone lines belonging to the NSA.
After the prosecution closed its case, the defendant opted for a no-case submission.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the DSS sued El-Rufai after he claimed during a Tv interview that he intercepted a telephone conversation involving Mr Ribadu.
The ex-governor had alleged that the conversation, on the telephone, revealed instructions to security operatives to arrest him.
He linked the alleged directive to an incident at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Feb. 12 after his return from Cairo, Egypt.