On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja replayed an interview that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai gave when human rights attorney Deji Adeyanju testified in the State Security Service’s alleged phone tapping case against the former governor.
As the second prosecution witness before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Adeyanju testified that the recording accurately depicted what he saw during the February 13 Arise Television program in which El-Rufai made allegations regarding the purported interception of a phone conversation involving National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu.
Adeyanju recounted in his evidence that on February 12, there had been rumours that El-Rufai would either be welcomed or arrested by security forces after returning from Cairo, Egypt.
He maintained that the issue was not politically motivated and claimed to have openly pushed the former governor to accept any request from security authorities.
He informed the court that on February 13, he and El-Rufai both participated on the same Arise Television program, however his segment was broadcast after the former governor’s.
“El-Rufai was on the show when I went to Arise. His part was followed by mine. I heard him talk about a variety of topics during the interview, and I refuted a lot of what he stated since it was either untrue or only partially true, he said.
Adeyanju added that he was invited by the SSS and issued a statement after accepting the interview.
“I verified El-Rufai’s claim that he received the information through a tap. I wrote all of that down,” he remarked.
The court replayed the interview that was previously submitted during the first prosecution witness’s testimony after the prosecution requested it.
Adeyanju verified that the video accurately depicted what he saw on February 13 after watching it.
Under the direction of prosecution attorney Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), Adeyanju presented the subpoena calling him to testify. Paul Erokoro (SAN), the defence attorney, did not object, so the document was brought into evidence and designated as Exhibit G.
A recording of Adeyanju’s interview on the program and a certificate of compliance were also submitted by the prosecution. The flash drive and certificate were accepted by the court and designated as Exhibits H and H1.
Adeyanju insisted in the taped interview that the SSS would have arrested El-Rufai at the airport if the government had planned to do so.
He also mentioned claims that the previous governor was being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
El-Rufai should be examined for potential wrongdoing, he added, and any prosecution should come after the investigation’s findings.
El-Rufai is a “ardent violator of human rights,” according to Adeyanju, who also referred to his current situation as “karma.”
Erokoro questioned if he heard El-Rufai specifically say during the interview that he had tapped a phone call during cross-examination.
El-Rufai had stated, “We listened to their calls,” Adeyanju retorted.
He went on to say that since he had no idea how it was done, he would report any claims that a call had been hacked.
However, the witness insisted that he only attended in court because he was summoned and claimed he was unaware of whether the NSA conducted phone conversations in a way that made them audible to others.
In order to continue the trial, Justice Abdulmalik later postponed the case to June 23.
El-Rufai stated in an interview with Arise Television that he had overheard a phone call with Ribadu, which purportedly indicated security personnel’s preparations to arrest him. The SSS then filed the five-count charge against El-Rufai in February.
The former governor was granted N100 million in bail after entering a not guilty plea to the allegations at his arraignment on April 23.