ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Tuesday opted to file a no-case submission in his ongoing trial over alleged breaches of national security after the Department of State Services (DSS) formally closed its case against him.
El-Rufai’s decision was conveyed to the Federal High Court in Abuja by his counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), shortly after the prosecution announced that it would not be presenting any additional witnesses before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
At the resumed hearing, counsel to the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), informed the court that the prosecution was satisfied with the evidence already presented and believed it had sufficiently established the offences contained in the charges against the former governor.
In response, Erokoro told the court that the defence intended to file a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution had failed to provide enough evidence to warrant El-Rufai entering a defence.
He subsequently requested two weeks to file the application, while the prosecution sought a similar period to respond.
The defence lawyer also urged the court to review some of the bail conditions earlier imposed on El-Rufai, describing them as excessively stringent and difficult to fulfil.
According to Erokoro, the conditions requiring level 17 civil servants who own properties in Maitama or Asokoro, as well as verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council, were particularly burdensome.
READ ALSO El-Rufai Appears In Court For Bail Hearing
However, Aladedoye opposed the application, insisting that public officers capable of meeting the stipulated requirements exist and urging the court to maintain the existing bail terms.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik declined the request to vary the bail conditions, holding that civil servants with properties in the designated locations were available and capable of serving as sureties.
The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until September 22 for the filing and hearing of the no-case submission and for further proceedings in the trial.
The case stems from allegations made by El-Rufai during an interview on Arise Television, where he claimed to have intercepted a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
According to the former governor, the conversation allegedly contained directives to security operatives to arrest him. He linked the purported instruction to an incident that occurred at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 following his return from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai was arraigned on April 23 on a five-count amended charge accusing him of unlawfully intercepting telephone communications linked to the National Security Adviser.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The matter continues before the Federal High Court in Abuja.