The Department of State Services (DSS) will on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, arraign former Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges bordering on cybercrime and breach of national security.
The development was confirmed by multiple security sources close to the investigation. El-Rufai, who has been in the spotlight following his detention and interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a separate N432 billion corruption probe, is now facing fresh criminal proceedings from the DSS for Multi-count charge sheet includes alleged offences under the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and provisions relating to national security breaches.
Specific allegations are expected to centre on the purported interception and monitoring of communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as well as other digital-related infractions.
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Last week, DSS operatives seized El-Rufai’s international passport at the airport upon his return from abroad, citing flight risk concerns linked to the reopened 2019 disappearance case of Katsina lecturer Abubakar Idris (Dadiyata).
El-Rufai’s legal team has described the series of probes as “coordinated political persecution” aimed at silencing a vocal critic of the Tinubu administration. The former governor recently defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and has been openly critical of several government policies.
Neither the DSS nor El-Rufai’s legal team has issued an official statement on the planned arraignment as of press time. The case is expected to attract significant public and media attention given El-Rufai’s stature and the politically charged nature of the allegations.
This is a developing story. Court proceedings are scheduled to commence by 9:00 a.m. on February 25.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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