Adeyanju testifies against El-Rufai in national security breach case as trial continues today

Human rights lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye Adeyanju, on Monday testified before the Federal High Court in Abuja in the ongoing trial of former over allegations of breaching national security.

Adeyanju, who appeared as the second prosecution witness (PW-2), told the court that he watched El-Rufai’s controversial television interview in which the former governor claimed he had access to a telephone conversation allegedly involving the National Security Adviser. According to the prosecution, the interview forms the basis of the charges filed by the (DSS).

The DSS alleges that El-Rufai claimed during the television interview that he intercepted a telephone conversation involving the National Security Adviser, which allegedly contained instructions to security operatives to arrest him following his return from Cairo, Egypt, through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12.

While being led in evidence by DSS counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), Adeyanju tendered the subpoena through which he was summoned to testify. The document was admitted by the court as Exhibit G without objection from the defence counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN).

The witness recalled that reports had emerged on February 12 suggesting El-Rufai could be arrested or invited for questioning by security agencies. He said he had publicly advised the former governor to honour any invitation from security agencies, insisting that the matter should not be viewed as political persecution.

Adeyanju also confirmed that he appeared on an Arise Television programme on February 13, immediately after El-Rufai’s interview. He said he challenged several of the former governor’s claims, describing some of them as untrue or half-truths. At the prosecution’s request, both El-Rufai’s interview and Adeyanju’s subsequent interview were played in open court and admitted as Exhibits H and H1.

In the recorded interview, Adeyanju maintained that if the DSS intended to arrest El-Rufai, it would have done so at the airport. He stated that El-Rufai was only stopped because his name was on a security watch list, adding that no persecution was taking place. He further argued that any corruption allegations against the former governor should first be investigated before prosecution and criticised El-Rufai’s human rights record while in office.

The witness also told the court that after his television appearance, he was invited by the DSS where he made a written statement confirming that El-Rufai had said someone had intercepted and passed the telephone conversation to him. The statement, previously admitted as Exhibit E, was identified by the witness.

During cross-examination, defence counsel questioned whether El-Rufai expressly admitted tapping any telephone conversation. Adeyanju responded that the former governor had stated, “we listened to their calls,” adding that if someone claimed a call had been hacked, he would report it because he could not determine how it occurred. He, however, admitted he had no knowledge of whether the National Security Adviser used devices that could allow conversations to be overheard.

Following the day’s proceedings, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until June 23 for continuation of the trial.