El-Rufai: Someone tapped Ribadu’s phone and we heard him order my arrest

A former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El‑Rufai, has claimed that he listened to an intercepted phone conversation involving Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), who allegedly directed security operatives to arrest him.

Daily Trust had reported how men of the Department of State Services (DSS) attempted to arrest the former governor at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on Thursday, upon his arrival from Egypt.

El-Rufa’i had earlier said that he could be arrested any time.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, the former governor declared that the political struggle to unseat the current administration has just begun.

“You know, when that government came, I was among the few people who came out and told her we would oppose it and remove it. There was nothing I did not say,” he stated.

He added that if there were any genuine allegations against him, they would have been addressed long ago.

But speaking during an interview on ARISE Television, El-Rufa’i accused Ribadu of masterminding his arrest attempt.

He claimed that the call was made available to him after Ribadu’s phone was tapped by a source he failed to identify.

While admitting that accessing such a conversation was illegal, the opposition figure argued that phone interception is often carried out by authorities.

“I want to state very clearly that it was not the EFCC. It was the DSS. However, the DSS was procured by the ICPC to abduct me, even though the ICPC had never communicated with me at any time. The EFCC had written to me while I was away, saying they would like to have a chat over certain issues. My lawyers replied that I was not in the country and was on my annual vacation, and that once my date of return was confirmed, we would inform them.

“And we have written to the EFCC to say that I would celebrate my birthday with them. My birthday is on 16 February, which falls on a Monday. I would celebrate my birthday and come to see them at 10 a.m. on the 16th.

“So it was not the EFCC. My lawyer initially thought it was the EFCC, but it was not. We later found out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS to abduct me and then hand me over to them.

“This has become a modus operandi of the ICPC, which is increasingly being used as a personal tool by Nuhu Ribadu. Nuhu made the call and gave the order that I must be in custody yesterday (Thursday). We know because we listened to their calls.

“The government believes it is the only one that listens to calls, but we also have our ways. He made the call and gave the order.

“Someone tapped his phone. The government listens to our calls all the time without a court order. Someone tapped his phone and told us that he gave the order.”

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