The Department of State Services has filed criminal charges against former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over alleged cybercrime and actions said to threaten national security.

The case will come up for hearing on February 25 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The matter was assigned to Justice Joyce Abdulmalik after approval by the Chief Judge, Justice John Tsoho.

Court documents show that the DSS filed three criminal counts against the former governor.

The charges are linked to alleged illegal interception of phone communications belonging to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

According to the prosecution, El-Rufai reportedly made statements during a television interview on Arise TV on February 13.

The DSS claims he admitted knowledge of the interception of the NSA’s telephone lines and failed to report those involved to security authorities.

The first count accuses him of directly breaching Nigeria’s cybercrime laws through unlawful interception of private communications.

The second count focuses on his alleged failure to disclose information about individuals responsible for the act. Prosecutors argue that such silence aided a serious security breach.

In the third count, the DSS alleged that El-Rufai and others still at large used technical systems to interfere with the NSA’s communication in a manner that endangered public safety and created fear among citizens. The charge also states that the act undermined national security.

The court filing further relies on comments credited to the former governor during the same interview, where he spoke about hearing instructions allegedly given for his arrest by the NSA.

In a related development, El-Rufai was earlier detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over separate corruption allegations. He was later granted administrative bail but was immediately taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

An official message from the commission stated: “Malam Nasiru El-Rufai is in the custody of the commission in connection with ongoing investigations.”

Recall that El-Rufai had claimed during his media appearance that he overheard directives linked to his attempted arrest at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport after returning from Cairo, Egypt.