Former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El‑Rufai is facing calls for a formal probe after he said he listened to intercepted phone conversations involving the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, the report said on Saturday.
The backlash grew after El‑Rufai spoke about the matter during an interview on Arise Television on Friday evening, when he said his associates “listened to their calls” and learned that Ribadu had allegedly given an order that they interpreted as a plan to arrest him.
Following El‑Rufai’s comments, aides to the President and others have said his statement should be investigated. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said in a post on social media that El‑Rufai’s remarks amounted to an admission of wire‑tapping and should be “thoroughly investigated and punishment meted out,” adding that “he is not too big to face the wrath of the law.”
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, also commented on social media, challenging El‑Rufai’s assertion and questioning the implications of his claim that a tapped phone revealed a directive.
In the televised interview, El‑Rufai said: “Ribadu made the call because we listened to their calls. The government thinks they’re the only ones that listen to calls.
But we also have our ways.” He acknowledged during the exchange that accessing intercepted phone conversations was illegal, according to the report.
El‑Rufai linked the intercepted communication to a purported plan involving security operatives and said he became aware of the alleged intention after viewing the intercepted call.
The interview also touched on his response to what he described as an attempted arrest at an airport earlier in the week, which he said his team encountered on returning to Nigeria.
Following El‑Rufai’s remarks, political figures including former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje and other commentators have called for inquiries into the claim, arguing that it amounts to a serious admission that warrants official scrutiny.
They said statements of this nature, given on national television, should prompt investigation by relevant authorities.
Observers cited in commentary have framed the situation as one that might require administrative and criminal investigation given the sensitive nature of communications involving the NSA’s office and national security protocols.
