By Ghazali Ibrahim
Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, is scheduled to be arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, over alleged cybercrime and breach of national security offences, according to court notices and official filings.
BlackBox Nigeria earlier reported that he was charged following a three-count criminal charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), which accuses El-Rufai of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications belonging to Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser (NSA).
The charges also allege that the ex-governor failed to report knowledge of the interception and engaged in conduct that compromised national security.
According to court documents, the matter has been assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, following an administrative decision by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.
The allegations stem from comments El-Rufai made during a live television interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13, in which he claimed to have overheard what he described as plans for his arrest.
This scheduled arraignment adds to a series of legal challenges facing El-Rufai.
In recent days, he was briefly detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as governor, before being taken into the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as part of separate investigations.
