•Nasir el-Rufai
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has moved a step closer to testing the strength of the case against him after the Department of State Services (DSS) formally closed its prosecution in the alleged wiretapping trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The development came during proceedings today when counsel to the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the agency had concluded the presentation of its evidence and would not be calling any additional witnesses, reports The Guardian.
The announcement effectively marked the end of the prosecution’s case, shifting attention to the defence and setting the stage for what could become a crucial phase of the trial.
Seizing on the development, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro (SAN), told the court that the defence would be filing a no-case submission, a legal procedure through which an accused person argues that the prosecution has failed to establish sufficient evidence requiring him to enter a defence.
The application, if successful, could result in the dismissal of the charges without the former governor being required to open his defence.
The defence subsequently requested two weeks to prepare and file the no-case submission, while the prosecution sought a similar period to study and respond to the application.
The court granted the requests, paving the way for legal arguments that could determine whether the trial proceeds further or comes to an abrupt end.Beyond the issue of the no-case submission, El-Rufai’s legal team also sought a review of the bail conditions earlier imposed by the court.
Counsel argued that some of the requirements were excessively demanding and difficult to satisfy.
Specifically, the defence questioned the condition requiring sureties who are Level 17 civil servants with landed properties in Abuja’s highbrow Maitama or Asokoro districts, as well as the requirement for verification and attestation letters from the Kaduna State Traditional Council.
According to the defence, the conditions placed an unnecessary burden on the former governor and could complicate efforts to perfect his bail. They urged the court to adopt more practical terms that would still guarantee his appearance throughout the proceedings.
However, the prosecution strongly opposed the application, insisting that the conditions were neither impossible nor unreasonable. Counsel for the DSS maintained that qualified public officers capable of meeting the requirements exist and argued that there was no basis for altering the terms previously approved by the court.
In her ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik rejected the application for a variation of the bail conditions. The judge held that the court was not convinced by the arguments advanced by the defence and noted that civil servants who meet the stipulated requirements could indeed be found. Consequently, the existing bail conditions remain in force.
With the prosecution’s case now officially closed, attention has shifted to the defence’s forthcoming no-case submission, which is expected to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence presented by the DSS. Legal observers say the outcome of that application could prove decisive in determining the future of the trial.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until September 22 for the filing and adoption of the no-case submission as proceedings continue in the closely watched case involving the former Kaduna State governor.
