A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai to enter his defence, if he chooses, in his ongoing trial over the alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications belonging to National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik issued the order on Monday while ruling on El-Rufai’s no-case submission.
The judge dismissed the submission, ruling that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require the defendant to respond to the allegations.
A no-case submission is a request by a defendant asking the court to dismiss a case because the prosecution has allegedly failed to present sufficient evidence to warrant a defence.
With the submission dismissed, El-Rufai has been directed to decide whether to present evidence in his defence as the trial continues.
The case centres on allegations that the former governor unlawfully intercepted Ribadu’s telephone communications. The allegations remain subject to determination by the court.
Further details of the ruling and the next steps in the proceedings were not immediately available as of the time of reporting.
