Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja by the Department of State Services (DSS) on an amended five-count charge bordering on the alleged unlawful interception of communications.
At the commencement of proceedings on Thursday, counsel to the DSS informed the court that an amended charge had been filed, increasing the counts from three to five.
The court subsequently struck out the initial three-count charge and replaced it with the amended five-count charge.
When the charges were read, El-Rufai pleaded not guilty.
Following his plea, counsel to the DSS applied for three consecutive trial dates.
However, the defence team objected, stating that they required time to confer properly with their client, who they said had been in the custody of multiple security agencies.
The defence also notified the court of a pending bail application filed on February 17, alongside a further affidavit submitted recently in support of the application.
The presiding judge, Justice Abdulmalik, noted that the further affidavit was not in the court’s records and declined to allow it to be tendered from the bar.
The judge criticised the defence for failing to ensure proper filing of processes, warning against what she described as unnecessary courtroom distractions.
In response, the defence denied any involvement in inviting media personnel into the courtroom.
The court subsequently stood down proceedings to allow for clarification on the status of the additional affidavit.
READ ALSO: Court Adjourns El-Rufai’s Bail Application To June
In a related development, a Kaduna State High Court presided over by Darius Khobo had adjourned the hearing of El-Rufai’s bail application to the first week of June 2026.
In that case, the former governor is facing separate charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), including allegations of abuse of office, fraud, and conferring undue advantage.
Counsel to the defendant, Ukpon Akpan, criticised the repeated adjournments, describing them as politically motivated. While the defence maintains that El-Rufai is not a flight risk, the prosecution has urged the court to consider the gravity of the charges.
El-Rufai, 66, has been in custody since February after prior detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, he was briefly released in March on compassionate grounds following his mother’s death.
