A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai over allegations of unlawful interception of telephone conversations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

In a ruling on Monday, the presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require el-Rufai to enter his defence.

The former governor is standing trial on a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted telephone conversations linked to Ribadu.

In February 2026, during an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, el-Rufai said “someone wiretapped” Ribadu’s phone, enabling him to listen to the NSA instructing security operatives to arrest him.

The Federal Government closed its case after presenting two witnesses, prompting el-Rufai to file a no-case submission.

Moving the application, his counsel, Paul Erokoro, urged the court to discharge and acquit his client, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case requiring him to defend the charges.

However, prosecution counsel Oluwole Aladedoye urged the court to dismiss the application and direct the defendant to open his defence, maintaining that the oral and documentary evidence presented was sufficient to warrant a trial.

The judge ruled in favour of the prosecution and adjourned the case until November 25 for el-Rufai to open his defence.