Court Admits DSS Evidence in Alleged Phone-Tapping Trial of El-Rufai
Deji Adeyanju, the second prosecution witness in the trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged phone tapping and breach of national security, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the former governor admitted during a television interview that “we listened to the conversation of the NSA”.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, Adeyanju said he knew El-Rufai as a former governor of Kaduna State and recalled issuing a public statement after reports emerged that security operatives were planning to arrest him.
The prosecution tendered the subpoena used to summon the witness, which was admitted and marked as Exhibit G.
The court also viewed the television interview involving El-Rufai, after which Adeyanju identified the recording and confirmed the statements allegedly made during the programme.
The prosecution subsequently tendered a flash drive containing Adeyanju’s own interview, together with a certificate of compliance. Both documents were admitted in evidence and marked as Exhibits H and H1.
While testifying, Adeyanju said he was later invited by the Department of State Services (DSS), where he was asked to recount what transpired at the television studio.
According to him, he informed investigators that he was present when El-Rufai made the remarks on air and that, when further questioned during the interview, the former governor stated that someone had carried out the phone tapping and passed the information to him.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, the witness said that although he did not hear El-Rufai specifically say he hacked the phone lines of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, he heard him say, “we listened to the conversation of the NSA”.
When asked whether he knew the means through which the National Security Adviser makes calls and whether he would be surprised to learn that DSS investigators did not ask which of Ribadu’s devices had allegedly been compromised, Adeyanju replied that such matters were not his concern.
Meanwhile, the prosecution tendered an official gazette without objection from the defence. The document was admitted and marked as Exhibit I.
Justice Mohammed Umar adjourned the matter until June 23 for the continuation of trial.
