Former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, is set to file a no-case submission in his alleged wiretapping trial.
This follows the decision of the Department of State Services to close its case against him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.
The DSS is prosecuting El-Rufai on an amended five-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful interception of communications and breach of national security.
According to the charges, the former Kaduna State governor had claimed on Arise Television during a live interview in February that he had intercepted a telephone conversation involving Ribadu, which allegedly revealed plans by security operatives to arrest him, an offence the agency said was contrary to Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.
At the resumed hearing, counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the prosecution would not be calling any further witnesses, prompting the formal closure of its case.
Following the development, El-Rufai’s lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), told the court that the defence would file a no-case submission, contending that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence to warrant his client entering a defence.
The defence sought two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution requested another two weeks to respond.
Erokoro also applied for a variation of the bail conditions earlier granted to the former governor, describing them as stringent and difficult to fulfil.
