The Department of State Services will on Wednesday, February 25, arraign former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai over alleged cybercrime and threats to national security.

El-Rufai is scheduled to appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Abuja.

According to court documents, the DSS filed a three-count charge accusing the former governor of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The charges stem from comments El-Rufai allegedly made during a February 13 appearance on Arise Television, where he claimed knowledge of the interception of Ribadu’s phone calls. Prosecutors said he admitted being aware of those involved but failed to report them to security agencies.

The DSS said the alleged offences violate provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024, and the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.

El-Rufai was briefly detained by the DSS on February 18 after spending two nights in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He is also being investigated by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged corruption during his tenure as governor.