The Department of State Services on Thursday arraigned former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged interception of a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai was docked on a five-count amended charge bordering on unlawful access to a private communication.
At the commencement of proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that the initial three-count charge had been expanded to five counts, prompting the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, to strike out the earlier charge.
The former governor, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Details of the allegations were not fully ventilated in open court, but the case is linked to claims that El-Rufai unlawfully accessed or intercepted a phone conversation involving the NSA.
The development follows comments credited to the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory during a February interview on Arise Television, where he alleged that Ribadu’s phone had been wiretapped, enabling him to hear discussions about plans to arrest him.
The court is expected to fix a date for further hearing in the matter.