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Court dismisses El-Rufai’s no-case submission in alleged NSA phone-tapping trial
The judge, therefore, ordered El-Rufai, the sole defendant in the charge, to enter his defence.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday 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.
In her ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the Department of State Services (DSS) had presented sufficient evidence to require the former governor to enter his defence, if he so wished.
The ruling means the trial will proceed, with El-Rufai given the opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.
The judge, therefore, ordered El-Rufai, the sole defendant in the charge, to enter his defence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the the defendant had opted for a no-case submission after the DSS closed its case by calling two witnesses.
El-Rufai, through his counsel, Akinyemi Aremu, had urged the court to hold that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring the former governor to enter a defence.
In response, the DSS lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, adopted their counter affidavit in opposition to the no-case submission.
Aladedoye argued that the defence failed to address Exhibit “B”, which the prosecution said contained El-Rufai’s alleged admission concerning the tapping of Ribadu’s phone.
He submitted that since the prosecution had established a prima facie case against El-Rufai, the defendant was required by law to enter his defence.
(NAN)
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