The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a no-case submission filed by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in his ongoing trial over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the ruling on Monday, held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require El-Rufai to enter his defence, if he so wishes. Following the dismissal of the no-case submission, the judge directed the former governor, who is the sole defendant in the case, to open his defence. El-Rufai had filed the no-case submission through his counsel, Akinyemi Aremu, after the Department of State Services (DSS) concluded its case with the testimony of two witnesses. The defence argued that the prosecution had failed to establish a sufficient case against the former governor to warrant requiring him to defend himself against the allegations. However, the DSS, through its counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), urged the court to reject the application. Aladedoye argued that the defence had failed to adequately address Exhibit B, which the prosecution claimed contained an alleged admission by El-Rufai that he intercepted Ribadu's telephone communications. In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the evidence presented by the prosecution was sufficient to require the defendant to respond to the allegations by entering his defence. The court's decision means that the trial will proceed to the defence stage, where El-Rufai will have the opportunity to respond to the prosecution's evidence and present his side of the case, should he choose to do so. The allegations against the former governor remain subject to determination by the court.
