“Our Lives Are in Danger”: El-Rufai’s Wives Raise Alarm Over Surveillance, Phone Tapping

“Our Lives Are in Danger”: El-Rufai’s Wives Raise Alarm Over Surveillance, Phone Tapping

Asia Mohammed, one of the wives of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has raised a public alarm alleging that she and her co-wife, Aisattou, are under surveillance and that their phones have been compromised. Mohammed made the allegation in a Facebook post on Saturday, expressing fears for their safety and claiming that their lives were in danger. According to her, unidentified individuals are monitoring their movements and communications. “They are following me and Aisattou. Let the world know that if anything happens to us, the Government should explain. Our phones are bugged… our lives are in danger!” she wrote. The claims have since generated reactions on social media, with supporters and associates expressing concern and calling for an investigation into the allegations. However, Asia did not identify those allegedly responsible for the surveillance or provide evidence to substantiate her claims. As of the time of filing this report, no official response had been issued by government authorities regarding the allegations.

The development comes amid growing concerns over El-Rufai’s continued detention and ongoing legal battles. The former Kaduna State governor, who is a chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), has been facing legal challenges since February 12, 2026, when operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) reportedly attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after his return from Egypt. On the same day, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) invited him for questioning. Following the airport incident, El-Rufai alleged during an interview with Arise Television that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was behind the arrest order, claiming he knew this because he had intercepted and wiretapped the security chief’s private communications. When asked how he knew Ribadu made such a call, El-Rufai replied, “He made the call, because we listen to their calls. The government thinks that they’re the only ones that listen to calls, but we also have our ways. He made the call; he gave the order.” Pressed further, “So you tapped his phone calls…??” El-Rufai answered, “Someone tapped his phone.” When reminded that wiretapping was technically illegal, El-Rufai said he knew, but the government does it all the time, explaining that they tap calls all the time without a court order.

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The situation escalated on February 16, when El-Rufai voluntarily visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) headquarters over allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure as Kaduna State governor. After spending two days in EFCC custody, he was transferred to the ICPC on February 18, 2026, where he underwent further questioning and his Aso Drive residence was searched. His legal team later filed a fundamental rights suit challenging his continued detention, but more legal battles followed. In April 2026, the ICPC arraigned him on a nine-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud, money laundering, and procurement violations before the Kaduna State High Court, where he was remanded in custody. On April 14, 2026, Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Kaduna granted El-Rufai bail of ₦200 million with strict conditions. However, a separate bail application at the Kaduna State High Court was rejected over concerns about his political influence.

The ICPC has defended his detention, insisting that its actions are guided strictly by the law and not politics. Commission spokesperson John Odey stated that El-Rufai remains in the commission’s custody based on a valid court remand order. “We are not detaining him on our own. We are following lawful orders. He is in our custody by court remand, so we don’t have any issues with that,” Odey said. He also rejected allegations that the anti-corruption agency was being used to pursue political objectives, maintaining that the ICPC prosecutes anyone found to have violated laws within its mandate, regardless of status or political affiliation.

El-Rufai is also facing prosecution by the Department of State Services over allegations that he authorised the wiretapping of communications linked to the National Security Adviser. In April 2026, the DSS arraigned El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a five-count amended charge bordering on alleged unlawful interception of communications and breach of national security. El-Rufai, who appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, pleaded not guilty to all the counts. Count four of the amended charges reads: “That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, intentionally and without authorization, intercepted the communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as admitted by you on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024”.

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According to affidavits filed by the ICPC at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, operatives said they recovered “electronic magnetic equipment capable of tapping conversations” and “sensitive security documents capable of compromising national security” during a search of his residence. The ICPC also referenced remarks allegedly made by El-Rufai on Arise Television, stating that he admitted to tapping telephone conversations of the National Security Adviser. He was asked to give consent to enable the commission access the equipment, but he refused.

The family has refuted claims about sophisticated surveillance equipment. In March 2026, his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency, denied reports that sophisticated phone-tapping equipment and sensitive security documents were recovered during a raid on his father’s residence in Abuja. He described the claims as false and politically driven, accusing the commission of waging a “media war rather than adhere to the rule of law.” The family rejected the list of items allegedly seized, stating that only “old discarded personal mobile phones… storage devices like flash drives and laptops” were taken from the house. “We were present when these items were seized. No equipment other than old discarded personal mobile phones, storage devices like flash drives and laptops, which are standard possessions of any 21st-century citizen, were seized from the property,” the family said. They further claimed the search warrant used for the operation was invalid and has been challenged in court. “Our lawyers have challenged this illegitimate warrant in a court of competent jurisdiction,” the statement said, adding that the warrant was obtained fraudulently.

Addressing claims that El-Rufai did not cooperate with investigators, the family said his silence was a constitutional right. “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees every citizen the right to remain silent. This is not an act of non-cooperation; it is a fundamental human right,” the statement read. Quoting the former governor, the family added, “Charge me, if you have anything against me. You have had more than 2 years to investigate me. Take me to court, please”.

In May 2026, the family also alleged that DSS operatives attempted to take El-Rufai into custody shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, violating existing court orders directing that he remain in ICPC custody. Speaking outside the DSS facility in Abuja, Hasiat El-Rufai accused security agencies of subjecting the family to intimidation, surveillance and psychological pressure, stating: “We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat — DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house. You are being followed. Our phones are tapped”. According to her, El-Rufai had been denied access to his personal doctors despite an earlier Kaduna High Court order granting him unrestricted access to lawyers and physicians.

Bello El-Rufai also criticized the bail conditions imposed, arguing they were excessively stringent: “Who keeps a person for 91 days? Why were the terms of the bail so stringent that it is practically impossible for anybody to meet?” He further accused the ICPC of issuing misleading statements and disclosed plans to submit a formal petition to the House of Representatives.

The El-Rufai Support Group Association (ERSGA) has also engaged Vanguard Africa, a Washington DC-based international advocacy firm, to campaign against what it described as the erosion of the rule of law and abuse of due process in Nigeria. The group described El-Rufai as “an accomplished reformer and senior statesman with decades of public service,” while rejecting the allegations against him. Speaking for the association, Mohammed Salihu said the case raised concerns about the state of democratic institutions in Nigeria: “The treatment of Governor El-Rufai is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of a deeper crisis threatening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.” The group called on the United States Government, international democratic institutions and civil society organisations to closely monitor developments in Nigeria and defend due process, judicial independence and democratic freedoms.

“Our Lives Are in Danger”: El-Rufai’s Wives Raise Alarm Over Surveillance, Phone Tapping