By Ghazali Ibrahim
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is facing growing criticism and calls for investigation after publicly claiming that he accessed an intercepted phone call involving Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
In an interview on Arise Television, El-Rufai said his associates heard a conversation on Ribadu’s phone that allegedly revealed plans to have him arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
He admitted the interception was technically illegal but defended the disclosure by arguing that “the government listens to our calls all the time without a court order.”
El-Rufai’s comments appeared to suggest that he had access to information from a bugged phone line.
El-Rufai claimed that Ribadu “made the call and gave the order that they should arrest me,” and said that such surveillance was commonplace.
“The government thinks they’re the only ones that listen to calls, but we also have our ways,” he said during the broadcast.
The remarks have attracted sharp reactions from political and security circles. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, called for a full investigation into El-Rufai’s claims, stressing that no one is above the law and that any illegal wire-tapping should be thoroughly probed and punishable if confirmed.
Onanuga questioned whether El-Rufai and unnamed collaborators have wire-tapping capabilities, given the nature of the allegation.
Critics including former presidential aide Reno Omokri have also condemned El-Rufai’s statements, describing the public admission of illegal phone interception as “callous” and a serious offence.
Omokri raised concerns about the implications of such actions for national security and the integrity of communications among high-level officials.
In response to the backlash, El-Rufai’s son, Bashir El-Rufai, sought to clarify that his father did not personally tap the NSA’s phone but simply received information from someone who did.
