Phone-tapping charge: Court rejects El-Rufai’s no-case submission

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State in his ongoing trial over alleged unlawful interception of the telephone communications of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a ruling, held that the Department of State Services (DSS) had placed before the court sufficient evidence to warrant the court to call on the ex-governor to enter his defence if he so desires.

The judge, therefore, ordered El-Rufai, the sole defendant in the charge, to enter his defence.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the the defendant had opted for a no-case submission after the DSS closed its case by calling two witnesses.

El-Rufai, through his counsel, Akinyemi Aremu, had 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 lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, 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 was required by law to enter his defence.