Adeyanju Seeks Probe of El-Rufai Phone-tap Claims
Last update: February 14, 2026
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El-rufai had alleged that he listened to NSA Nuhu Ribadu's conversation....
Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju on Friday called for a probe of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai over what he described as public “confessions” to serious allegations.
Adeyanju cited El-Rufai’s claim that his associates tapped the phone of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, as well as remarks concerning the unresolved abduction of government critic Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata.
In a Facebook post, Adeyanju urged security agencies to investigate El-Rufai after ongoing probes by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission are concluded.
“El-Rufai should be investigated for confessing to tapping NSA’s phone after EFCC and ICPC are done with him,” Adeyanju wrote.
He also called for scrutiny of what he described as El-Rufai’s statement attributing responsibility for Dadiyata’s 2019 disappearance to former Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
“The security agencies should also investigate El-Rufai’s self-confession that it was Ganduje who abducted Dadiyata and not him,” he added.
The remarks come amid heightened political tensions surrounding El-Rufai, who recently returned to Nigeria and alleged he faced an attempted arrest by operatives of the State Security Service at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
El-Rufai’s team described the incident as unlawful, alleging that operatives seized his passport without a warrant, while supporters intervened to prevent his detention. He has denied wrongdoing and alleged politically motivated persecution, including claims that the NSA influences anti-graft investigations.
Dadiyata, an online critic of governance in northern Nigeria, was abducted from his Kaduna home on Aug. 2, 2019, by armed men, according to witnesses. His whereabouts remain unknown despite police investigations and sustained public outcry.
The case has drawn repeated allegations against El-Rufai’s administration over suppression of dissent, claims he has consistently denied.
